Wednesday 1 April 2009

Comparison of containers for Runner Beans

We are growing early runner beans in the tunnel this year as a trial, we used two sizes of module one was the root trainer normally used for shrub transplants the other is a standard module tray.


Both batches were sown at the same time under lights, the growth seems even between the the two types. The root growth though is radically different, the root trainers have produced much more root growth presumably because of the extra space.
The module root ball is much smaller but so far is supporting a similar top growth. they willbe planted this week and we will see which produces a bigger crop.

2 comments:

Alice and Stuart said...

So great to see you trial these things. Sorry about those gloves! We're having serious issues with mice eating our seed. Expensive pepper seed, spinach seed, and basil seed seems to be what they like best. We've set out traps and have caught several, but there seems to be an infinite amount.

Phil Moore said...

Mice or in our case short tail voles are a really serious problem. Cats help, we got two neutered feral cats from a rescue society. Covers over the crops also protect voles so we remove these as soon as possible in the life of the crop. We have some Raptor posts to encourage owls and other birds of pray.
But if the mice are protected from predators the only effective method is to use bait in the spring as they start to build in numbers.

You have my sympathy
Phil