Just popped over to the allotment to plant some beans (I figure by the time
they come up the frost will be over!) and the state of the poor potatoes!
Every single one looks dead! :-(
I'm guessing they will come back, especially given how early it is still,
but even so ... Poor things.
How will it affect their taste? Am I remembering rightly that they are
sweeter when they have been frosted, or is that only after they have been
picked and stored?

At least I didn't have 2' tall bean plants that have been masacred, like a
few other people seem to have done ...!


--

wrote in message
...
At least I didn't have 2' tall bean plants that have been masacred, like
a
few other people seem to have done ...!


It's far too risky to have 2 ft tall beans now. Do as my grandfather did,
plant your runner beans on May 8th.
By the time they are up most chance of frost is past.

Tina

I thought that was parsnips?

I can't imagine frost being good for potatoes.

Presumably runners and french, not broad?

On 12/05/2010 22:13, Christina Websell wrote:
wrote in message
...
At least I didn't have 2' tall bean plants that have been masacred, like
a
few other people seem to have done ...!


It's far too risky to have 2 ft tall beans now. Do as my grandfather did,
plant your runner beans on May 8th.
By the time they are up most chance of frost is past.

Tina




I never plant runner beans outdoors until the end of May. Usually plant
a few in pots to get some early ones, but I find that the outdoor ones
usually crop until November - and I'm still eating the frozen ones from
last year!

Roger T

Christina Websell wrote:
It's far too risky to have 2 ft tall beans now. Do as my grandfather did,
plant your runner beans on May 8th.
By the time they are up most chance of frost is past.

Well, I was close. Today's 12th. :-)
Planted the first 1/4 of the patch. I meant to do them on Sunday, but we
had a little accident with one of the posts (ie, Nick managed to snap the
whole damned thing!)

vicky wrote ...
Just popped over to the allotment to plant some beans (I figure by the
time
they come up the frost will be over!) and the state of the poor potatoes!
Every single one looks dead! :-(
I'm guessing they will come back, especially given how early it is still,
but even so ... Poor things.
How will it affect their taste? Am I remembering rightly that they are
sweeter when they have been frosted, or is that only after they have been
picked and stored?

At least I didn't have 2' tall bean plants that have been masacred, like a
few other people seem to have done ...!

They will come back OK but will be put back a bit. Taste will not be
affected as the tubers will not have been frosted. The tips of mine have
also been frosted but some of the other "new" plot holders had their spuds
well up so will be seriously put back and have lost all their tomatoes and
runner beans too, but then they should not be out yet anyway IMO.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

kay wrote:
How will it affect their taste? Am I remembering rightly that they are
sweeter when they have been frosted, or is that only after they have
been picked and stored?
I thought that was parsnips?

Parsnips and sprouts get it in a good way. I was thinking of it in a bad
way. :-/

I can't imagine frost being good for potatoes.

No, especially when /all/ of the foliage is dead!

At least I didn't have 2' tall bean plants that have been masacred, like
a few other people seem to have done ...!
Presumably runners and french, not broad?

Yes. Lots of very happy broad beans, and the peas are all fine (Nick was
worried about them, but I think peas are a much less tender crop than beans
- otherwise you wouldn't be able to overwinter them!)

In fact, my broad beans are very pretty at the moment, with white and
scarlet flowers all over! Although they're not very tall.

Trouble is, we've had a long run of warm winters. I've always reckoned on the last frost being in the first week of June, and planted out accordingly. I've been feeling increasingly silly as, year after year, we've had no frost after April. But this year I'm feeling smug :-)