runner beans

Agree with Alison. Compost and wet newspaper in the bottom of the trench before planting, and then spray the flowers with water if it doesn't rain.

The ones they sell in shops are always too tough and stringy, home grown much nicer.

Mine are languishing in their growing box and need planting out - hopefully tomorrow my little gardener will come and dig a trench for me....only I have to do at least a bit of weeding there first, which will have to be when it gets cooler tonight.
I plan to fix them up with some trickle watering from the water butt (which I'm allowed to fill) via leaky hose, as I have for the broad beans yesterday, they were looking a bit dry and I can't carry a lot of cans down the bottom of the garden!
I must remember the spraying bit if it continues like this.
(oh whoops should I have said that....? ....Murphy's Law?)

Three is nothing quite so wonderful as a good plump runner bean - and nothing quite so revolting as a stringy one!

We used to grow them a lot and we started by digging in newspaper and compost to hold the water. We used to use the garden hose to spray them from the top down in order to set the flowers and it always worked. I also remember that the more we picked the more they grew. Is it too late for this year in Italy?

I think that runner bean flowers need a damp atmosphere to set their flowers - if there was no rain when his beans were in bloom my dad used to go round giving them a spray from a water mister thing. Of course it was time consuming but as he spent more or less all day in the garden and sitting out there contemplating if not actually doing anything he didn't mind the fiddly job. I never knew if the spraying did any good but he always had a crop big enough to eat as they went along and for my Mother to freeze to last them through the winter.

God luck with your beans - we love them too - nothing like them and with marrow heaven!

Too hot. I love them too, and have tried unsuccessfully to grow them. The climate's just not right!