This is the x-frame I did last year . Much better . This is how it should look !
I'm glad I kept a note of this . The end posts need to be lower to give a better cross over .
I'm sharing this again , as it might be helpful to you . It worked really well for me last year .
Yep , I have some fine tuning to do on this years frame ! 🤣
See you later ! 🐝🐝🐝🐝
I can't believe I did that looking so smart last year ! Not bad for a "silly billy girl " !
It's not quite as neat as the one I did last year . It's an x-frame one , so the beans hanging down are easy to see and pick . It worked very well for me last year .
I've sown the first lot of my Climbing French Beans "slenderette " and "cobra " in the shed .
I'm just waiting on the postman to bring me two more propagation boxes with the long root training pots , then I will get some Dwarf French Beans , maybe some Runner-beans and maybe some Sweetcorn on the go .
I usually sow more seeds direct as I plant out the young bean plants .
Meanwhile up in the greenhouse ....
The Tomatoes are almost up to the bench and I really need to get the strings fixed up , from the bench up to the rafters .
Those tatty looking things in front are some spares I potted up . No idea what to do with them .I am not good at growing Tomatoes outside .Maybe I'll squeeze them in somewhere .... 🤔🌿🍅
Epiphyllum update - 🥰😍💗
So exciting !
Next post - I'll be showing you this ...... 🤩 .......
🕸️🕷️🕸️
⛅ Have a really nice day ! ⛅
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 🌥️
🐝🦋💚
