Runner beans with white flowers

[Rubykitchen]

Anyone know if white flowered varieties are harder / take longer to germinate?

Put white lady and czar in tubes in the propagator. czar have completely rotted - and didn't water at all after sowing. White lady had put down roots, so picked them out and replanted into new pot.

Have tried with fresh czar seed - but this time but in a freezer bag with moist compost and put in the airing cupboard for 2 days to try and trigger germination, before putting into loo tubes again.

Any tips - for an easy crop - I had no beans last year as planted too late. This year is not looking good from a germination rate...I'm destined to have no beans...I thought they were meant to be an easy crop ha

[Colin Miles]

I have also had difficulty germinating Moonlight, which is a white flowered variety. The first attempt in roottrainers gave 1 out of 16 compared with about 7 out of 16 Enorma (last years seed). So I set up up a load of Moonlight and the remaining Enorma on wet tissue indoors and have managed to get sufficient from that, but still not the sort of germination rate I would expect.

[Rubykitchen]

Moonlight is the new one isn't it too. You should tell them your findings - all very well setting in cool summers blah blah - but if you can't get the seed to germinate in the first place...

[Beryl]

I think you have been too hasty in sowing. French Beans and Runners to tend to rot if sown too early. I think late May is soon enough. They will germinate quickly then and you should get 99.9% germination.

Beryl.

[Rubykitchen]

Thanks Beryl - just i left it too late last year (June 6 for Runners) and didn't get any beans - tho lots of dwarf french (first time for climbing french beans) - have some just through now, and some more in a freezer bag covered with moist compost in the airing cupboard...so fingers crossed.

But you think I could hold off till end of may for climbing french beans?? or use propagator?

[Beryl]

Yes, you can sow either up to end of June. Both will go on until there is a frost. In fact Runner are perennials and there has been winters when I have left the roots in and they have come up again the next year.

Beryl.