I found out to my cost that bean seeds do not last!!
I first grew dwarf bean safari from seed 2 years ago and was surprised by the productivity in 10" pots along the back wall of the house.
Last year the germination and productivity fell
less plants less beans !
-this year NO Germation ( and way behind with my beans)!
I think I might have bought a new pack of seeds last year but the yield was still not very good (weather maybe ?). I think overall I will have to buy new seed every year as the tightness bred into gardeners like me does not pay off with dwarf beans.
I did read a poem quoted in a thread on this forum to the effect that bean seeds last one season or 2 maximum but no more . I planted 10 pots (2 new seeds to a pot) in growbag soil in the greenhouse last week to catch up like planting direct into the ground .
Do I have a chance so late ?
Mike
Dwarf Beans Safari LATE
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FelixLeiter
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Keeping seed is always a bit of a risk. You don't always know how old the seed is when you buy it: it is only certified for the year in which it is packeted, by law. How it is stored has a bearing on how vital the seed remains. If you keep it in the shed or greenhouse all the time, that is not good as fluctuating humidity and temperatures can play Old Harry with them and they quickly degrade.
French beans were very poor for everyone last year, because of the awful summer. Runners came good in the end, but I have never known them come into crop so late. You can sow French beans up until the end of July. In fact, I make a point of sowing that late to get the best quality beans, in my view. They germinate quickly in a warm soil, progress rapidly in the warm late summer weather and make use of the early autumn rains to plump up to produce particularly succulent, and numerous, beans.
French beans were very poor for everyone last year, because of the awful summer. Runners came good in the end, but I have never known them come into crop so late. You can sow French beans up until the end of July. In fact, I make a point of sowing that late to get the best quality beans, in my view. They germinate quickly in a warm soil, progress rapidly in the warm late summer weather and make use of the early autumn rains to plump up to produce particularly succulent, and numerous, beans.
Allotment, but little achieved.
Mike
i always save french bean seeds, but each year I like to sow the previous years seed - this way I get good germination. If you sow fresh seed now you will get quick germination and a good crop.
i always save french bean seeds, but each year I like to sow the previous years seed - this way I get good germination. If you sow fresh seed now you will get quick germination and a good crop.
"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
- Gandhi
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Lurganspade
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I grow quite a lot of both dwarf and climbing French beans over the season, both very early and late.
The dwarf ones I sown in succession.
I find with first couple of early sowings, germination is terrible, the seeds go into mush! It does not matter how dry the compost is, most seeds rot.
Whereas sowing from now on, with the seed from the same packets, it is almost 100% germination, it is the same almost every year!
The reason I grow so many is that my wife takes them to the Church's coffee mornings to sell for church funds.
Hope this helps!
The dwarf ones I sown in succession.
I find with first couple of early sowings, germination is terrible, the seeds go into mush! It does not matter how dry the compost is, most seeds rot.
Whereas sowing from now on, with the seed from the same packets, it is almost 100% germination, it is the same almost every year!
The reason I grow so many is that my wife takes them to the Church's coffee mornings to sell for church funds.
Hope this helps!
Buy land, they do not make it anymore!
I agree completely. The old seed was hopeless and frustrating. The new seed just leaped out of the ground.
I'm now going to make sure I use up all the bean seed this year and freeze the surplus then spend £2.50 next year on fresh stuff.
I'm now going to make sure I use up all the bean seed this year and freeze the surplus then spend £2.50 next year on fresh stuff.
Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.
To Save Dwarf Bean Seed it is best to grow one or maybe two designated plants and do not harvest anything from them. Wait until the first frost has burnt the leaves then pull the entire plant up and hang up by the roots somewhere where they will dry out thoroughly and when the beans start to fall on their own. Pick all the pods that by this time will be brown, shrunken and crinkled. Select from the collected seed the best to the amount of seeds you require for the following year only.
This method means that the beans have a full growing season and are fully mature at the end. This is most important for good quality seed. Because they are not picked they will not produce the mass of beans that you normally get. Remember to only select the more superior of what you have and this generally assures you a good crop the following year.
The remaining seeds can normally be used as pulses.
JB.
This method means that the beans have a full growing season and are fully mature at the end. This is most important for good quality seed. Because they are not picked they will not produce the mass of beans that you normally get. Remember to only select the more superior of what you have and this generally assures you a good crop the following year.
The remaining seeds can normally be used as pulses.
JB.
Hi David,
To select the best beans I have always selected by size and discard the rest then having done that I look for any blemishes or any seed with say wrinkles or broken testa (outer casing) and they should be really shiny and that are not I discard. They are then stored in a plastic container with a silica gel capsule and place in our old dairy which is normally, even today, around 5C.
When I sow I soak for about 8hours then drain all excess water and cover with wet kitchen paper for 24 hours then sow they have generally doubled in size in this time. Say several Hail Mary's and that does the trick!
JB.
To select the best beans I have always selected by size and discard the rest then having done that I look for any blemishes or any seed with say wrinkles or broken testa (outer casing) and they should be really shiny and that are not I discard. They are then stored in a plastic container with a silica gel capsule and place in our old dairy which is normally, even today, around 5C.
When I sow I soak for about 8hours then drain all excess water and cover with wet kitchen paper for 24 hours then sow they have generally doubled in size in this time. Say several Hail Mary's and that does the trick!
JB.
Thanks for all the advice and discussion on this topic !
My dwarf beans germinated at about 90% last week during the hot spell !
I think I will leave sowing till later next year or sow in succession and use new seed.
It still seems strange that dwarf beans need a bit more care than runner beans. The runner beans I sowed ( Wisley Magic ) were no problem.
Regards
Mike
My dwarf beans germinated at about 90% last week during the hot spell !
I think I will leave sowing till later next year or sow in succession and use new seed.
It still seems strange that dwarf beans need a bit more care than runner beans. The runner beans I sowed ( Wisley Magic ) were no problem.
Regards
Mike