Wednesday 10 August 2011

My 2011 crop of Runner Beans.

Not being such a lover of green vegetables, but do like Runner Beans, providing that they are picked when they are small and tender (which they aren't when produced for public sale) I therefore grow my own in containers each year. I sow them from seed at intervals so that they don't all ripen at the same time.
The plants in the beige pots shown below are my first sown.


The black pots are the last ones to be transplanted. Keeping them contained in these planters helps me to keep them well watered with rain water from the waterbutt and weekly fed with liquid plant food.


...and these here are the middle plants. The soil that they are grown in is rich with compost and well rotted farmyard manure.


Close-up photos of the growing beans.


An even closer photo.


Sally helped me pick my very first handful.


They look really small and very tender.


I have a little hand device that once the beans are topped and tailed you pull them through to thinly slice them. Boiled in water for ten minutes, drained and then served on a warmed plate with a knob of butter melting on top and fresh crispy bread they make an ideal lunchtime snack.

Incidently they were delicious. Having more today.

7 comments:

  1. Id like to know more about your little device as I am an AVID green bean lover and like them hot or cold and when cold add a little chopped onion and salad cream with brown bread and butter and am is heaven!
    Love Sally and her dress and the pics.
    Can I come to lunch please?
    xxx

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  2. Awesome...someone else is also a gardener in Pots....I often have plants like this ...taller than me....and Sasha is such an adorable Vegetable Harvester....

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  3. If I was not so far....I would invite myself to lunch too...after hearing Sarah's menu....I am a vegetarian...so that is MY lunch....

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  4. I'm having fresh beans with dinner tonight...I have them raw so need to have them while they are young :-)

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  5. Youve inspired me to grow some of my own next year ....the plants would look lovely on our patio !.........sarah x

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  6. Nice to see that you have brought Sally out to play Kendal, i do really like her! Love her fab outfit too! Love Steve xxx

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  7. Kendal,
    Absolutely awesome photo of Sally and her beans and dressed in green!!!
    Thank you. :)

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