Tuesday, 4 June 2024

French Climbing Beans - got to get another frame up !

 

    The time has come to uncover this bed and put up another frame for my Climbing French Beans .

So while my other half is working hard making fire .... I just got on with it by myself .


Underneath the weed membrane , the earth is looking quite nice .


There was some woodchip which I moved to one side , to maybe make a bit of a pathway .


The weed membrane will next be used on the area behind the bonfire . It is terrible down there , with bindweed being a real nuisance . We will be very slowly working to improve this area . It will eventually be filled with lots of trees and shrubs ..... a mini woodland .


The fire does smell nice and the wind is blowing the smoke away from the neighbours .


When we had our hedgerow coppiced last Autumn , I did ask the guys, if when they coppiced the Hazel , could they please leave me the hazel rods for my bean-frame . I think they forgot , which meant I had to go and buy another lot of bamboo canes . £6.50 for a bundle of ten at B&Q . I got two bundles and because they are such good quality ones , I think these will last me five or six years , if I am careful to store them away over winter .

Next year I will have some good hazel rods , which I prefer and I think which the beans prefer , being able to get a better grip as they climb .


I was thinking of doing the usual A frame , but thought maybe I'll try something a bit different this time . With an A frame the beans climb up and them form a muddled mess at the top . It's not really all that much of a problem . They still produce beans . 

So I went in for a cup of tea and a ponder .


..and a little walk about the garden to ease out my back . I was just admiring the roses around the summerhouse , when I heard scampering sounds !

I must say , it did make me jump !


So cute ! One of the raven fledgelings from the nest up in our tall pine tree  . So we decided to go in and watch from the window .


I threw out some bread to attract and bring the mother down .


She flew down and it fluttered over to her ....


  It put on quite a show , fluttering its wings and opening it's beak as wide as it could ....


....and she ignored the poor little feller !  


...and we watched as he wandered slowly across the lawn and disappeared into the bushes . 

You have to leave them to it .....that's nature . I had a little look later on and couldn't see it  . We know there are others up in the nest . We just have to keep our fingers crossed they will all be o.k. 


So that night I went to sleep with the thoughts of baby birds wandering about in the bushes and of the   variations and the putting up of bean frames .


and came up with the X-frame method ! I've seen a couple of other folks doing this with some success , including Mark at Mark's Veg Plot  - marksvegplot.blogspot.com  . 

The idea is that the bean plants climb up and when the beans are produced , they all hang down making it easier to see them when you go to pick them .  ( note to self -always use scissors to snip the beans off with . This way I won't damage the vine ! )

          It feels good and sturdy .

         🐇 🐰 It took me a while to get the chicken wire fence fixed up . 🐇🐰


Sorry about all the many photos of it ..but I'm feeling rather proud of it , though I do say so myself.....even though I still have to plant out the beans .

That will have to wait until tomorrow as my back has had enough for today !


            🌥️ It's been a bit overcast today with the odd spit spot of mizzle 🌥️

                                                   🐝🦋💚


                                              




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