Runner Beans are climbing the poles

After a slow start and a fight to keep the slugs at bay, the beans are finally going up the poles. It won't be long before we get to eat these delicious vegetables.

Runner beans give a good return for the small space occupied and can be grown in any type of soil so long as they receive an adequate amount of water.

The beans should be sown at the end of May in drills 6 inches wide, each to take two staggered rows of seed, 6 inches apart.

You won't need to apply any heavy manure before sowing, but the soil would benefit from some sulphate of potash. Apply as shown on the container.

The beans need to be staked with poles, usually of bamboo, 6 ft. tall with a gap of 18 inches between them.

When the beans are cropped, you can look forward to many nutritious meals.