Your wife, obviously and as usual!!!!!!!

The wife, always, even when she is wrong! Which is of course never.

I ave flowers and they are not any where near the top of the canes yet. and I am a wife but this is what my hubby taught me. They keep growing even when you are ipcking the beans

This 'wife' says they flower as they grow! And Bulba has already said I am always right :-) lol!!

good one mg :o)

lol!

I would hate to disagree with a woman but I'm going to anyway! Lol
Runners do need to establish themselves first, growing about 4 - 5 feet before flowering. They will continue to grow after flowering but if yours haven't flowered yet don't worry about it for a couple more weeks.
Once the fruit starts growing, the more you pick the more they will produce until the end of the season.

Brave man.
Cannot say about runner beans, hate the dratted things so we never grow them. However Climbing French beans do grow without flowers for a while, then begin producing.

Sorry Ian i think you're wrong mine are flowering from the bottom as they grow.ps i'm a lady lol. :0))

He! He! I'm keeping out of this one LOL

First of all I have my better halfs permission to say this.
Plants flower for one reason and one reason only, to produce seed. The production of a flower is actually quite an energy expensive thing to do, hence why some plants flower once and die (Century plant say, many others). So a plant of any description is not going to have the energy to produce a flower until it has grown for a while. The only time a plant produces a flower very early in its life is when it considers itself to be at risk of death. That is why some usually tall weeds will flower at a few inches high in Autumn, they are setting seed as quickly as possible before winter.
So Runner bean plants are not going to begin producing flowers until they are strong enough, and as important to them, not until the plant reaches a height at which its flowers become visible to pollenating insects.
Draw your own conclusion as to when a Runner bean plant starts flowering.

Now Tulsa, don't you start on me!
Just because I'm only a man doesn't mean I can't be right sometimes. Carol says I can be right but only when she says so! Lol

I'm not saying runner beans don't flower from the bottom but as Owdboggy agree's they need to be well established before they will do.

Sprinkler1 do you see the can of worms you have opened? Lol :~))

Worms... oh the birds will love you Sprinkler!

Ian will you ever learn,my beans are doing very well thank you with flowers starting at the bottom. What does Carol say on the subject ?come to think of it i wonder if sprinkler is any wiser ? lmso.

Sprinkler is very conspicuous by his absence don't you think? I bet he's laughing HIS socks off as well. Lol

Carol understands as much about growing veg as I do about quantum physics! She allows me to "play" in the garden, as long as I don't go out through the gate on my own!

LOL Ian you behave and don't dare go through that gate ! Sprinkler and his wife are still very quiet after opening this can of worms,For the last time the lady is right, ok. xxx

Sorry for not responding earlier but I was enjoying the comments,I started to photograph my runner beans this morning,so I can edit when(or if) they flower.Thanks for all the replys so far(think my Wifes ahead at the moment)lol

check out photograph dated 5/7/2010

I'm right, I'm right! Lol

A lovely looking plant there Sprinkler, growing well but without any flowers YET! Lol

I might not be allowed out on my own but I do know my veggies! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Lol ;~)))))

Behave Ian :0))

Lol Tulsa, :~)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I looked to day and i've got 2 beans whoope.

Right I'm coming round your place at midnight and you won't have in the morning! Lol

I'm scared you know where i live as well. 2 won't make much of a meal though 1 for Carol 1 for you.:0)))))))))))

Lol. :~))

Sorry Holly i'l save you a carrot.:0))))))))))

LMSO Tulsa, I'm still right, you can't get round me like that or are you trying to get my ladies on side? Lol

Okay I'm going to shock you all... I was WRONG! One of our runner beans is now 2 metres tall and has yet to produce a flower, none of the others has yet either. They d ohowever flower from the bottom up - lol

Lol MG :~))

That will teach me to say the woman is always right :-) :-) Frankly none of us is always right!

Except us men of course! Lol .......... Lol ;~))

Err that would be a big NO!

LMSO, it's a good job we all know and trust each other! It could turn quite nasty else Lol

my lips are sealed LOL:0))