runner beans

I have just thrown all DH (his say so) tomotoes out....plenty of flowers but not one tom...had 3 beef toms. 2 basket, and about 6 upright bush..plenty of flowers but the flowers were just dropping off and not making fruit..all were kept in greenhouse so he lost the enthusiasm and wanted them throwing....we have had good crop of peas though, but poor dwarf beans,, and the runner beans are only jjust flowering in sunny Lancashire.. the begonias are doing brill though!

Lots of flowers at the moment though on the beans! No raspberries!

In my two week absence, my three tomato plants have trebled in height and put on a lot of greenery. Can't see many flowers though.

I live in the sub tropics and have had success with 'Lazy Wife beans', They are quick to grow and quick to prepare - few strings.

I got my first lot from 'Eden Seeds' a local open pollinated non GM seed supplier, then I just save a few for planting next time. I'm sure they have such seed suppliers in the UK and Europe.

As for tomatoes - there's some disease that is endemic to this area and I get poor crops. After the fruit sets, leaves go yellow and start to die. Not good. Self seeding cherry tomatoes do the best - they produce a reasonable crop before succumbing.

Gave up on runner beans as they all came at once - generally while we were away, so we ended up with tough, stringy beans. I now grow climbing French beans which seem to have a longer cropping period and are really tasty. They don't get soil splashed or slug nibbled either like the short ones and some have really pretty flowers too. I like the idea of inter planting with sweet peas.

I've just noticed today there are lots of beans coming HURRAH!! at last, I had seen hardly any bees so thought we weren't going to get any but its looking good now I could eat a plateful of fresh runner beans all on their own... much later than usual though have just 2 tomatoes so far but quite a few more trusses with flowers, my Autumn fruiting raspberries look like they are going to fruit well and I picked a potful of wild blackberries today , my little granddaughter ate some with her lunch.. she said they're a bit soar Nanny but that's ok I like soar.

I forgot to save some Lazy Wife beans for planting so I've just ordered some to plant soon. Our late winter planting has to be put off because we are still getting frosty mornings - it's been freezing at night and 21 degrees c during the day for weeks and weeks. Typical Queensland winter weather, but usually easing by now. Somebody else is getting our warmth. Sometimes I think we are turning temperate from sub-tropical.