Kitchen Garden Forum

Help! Sowed my runner beans (some last years seed, some new) three weeks ago and about half are now up and growing well. But half (mostly on the same row) haven't shown and when I excavated they've disappeared totally! Not a sign of any seed and the soil doesn't look disturbed. I've re-sown, but anyone got any thoughts on this?

Mice or voles - see another thread( "Holes on raised beds and greenhouse").

If there is no signs of holes, I would suggest that they have rotted away. It seems awfully early to sow runner beans outside in early May, even in your climes - they like it dry and warm for germination.

I agree with Monika. Runner beans prefer a soil temperature of 15C for successful germination; less than 12C especially if wet is bad for germination. I doubt whether your soil achieved these temperatures back in April. You could say you were lucky to get the germination you did. Resowing will give you plants which will easily catch up with the early sown.

Looks like rot is the problem. I sowed 6 "new" seeds in pots in the greenhouse and only one came up! I found the sees had rotted. They were all new Enorma, from a firm called "Country Value".