Kitchen Garden Forum

I've been following the suggestions made in Catherine's thread about the germination of sweet peas, and wonder whether it's possible to successfully germinate Runner & French beans without planting them in the compost, i.e. soaking overnight & then leaving on damp tissue for a while until they start to sprout.

I often get frustrated that my bean seeds don't germinate and wonder whether this method would work and reduce the uncertainty of whether they're germinating or not. I do get fed up sometimes wondering whether they've rotted in the compost where I can't see them. Has anybody tried it with beans? If so, how long would you need to soak them & keep on dry tissue before putting them in the compost?

In the past I've often blamed poor quality compost for non germination and wonder whether starting them independently would give them a better start.

Hello Primrose
I have done this in the past usually with older packets of seeds that I thought might not germinate very well. It works fine and the viable seed soon swells up and within several days the first root will begin to emerge.
A couple of tips though. As soon as first root shows pot the seed up into compost in the normal way - don't delay as the seed will soon begin to deteriorate. Secondly do NOT ever cover the seeds with water as these large seeds will soon drown! Simply place them on several layers of very moist kitchen paper in a tray (one without drainage holes) and they will start swelling. It's also a good idea to change the water every couple of days.

Hope this helps

John

John - thanks for your advice. I'm very tempted to try germinating some of my beans by this method this year, particularly some of the yellow French beans I bought last year from one of the Italian seed companies. They gave me a very poor germination in compost which was doubly disappointing because when they cropped, they were delicious.

I do remember germinating runner beans in jam jars as a kid at school with a bean wedged between the side of the jar and some damp blotting paper, which made me think it would work on a bigger scale.

Hi,
I guess this would work with broad beans as well. I have to start off a new batch since the autumn sowings just rotted off at the stem with the weather we had early on.

Hilary

Yes, I often use a seed sprouter for beans etc and have started my peas off this year like this.

As soon as they sprout, they go into compost (usually roottrainers).

Always sow my first batch of broad beans in peat pots , kept frost free they are fine and often on the bench in the shed .Plant out when I sow the second batch direct into the ground.You get lovely flushes of broad beans this way.

I do the same with peas because I found that mice do not eat the germinated peas as readily as the newly sown, dry seeds.
Haven't tried it with beans because I sow those in roottrainers in the greenhouse in any case and germination tends to be very good in those conditions.

Last Year I had a real problem with Streamline runner beans. Two sowings rotted off in the pot and I then went to another seed source but by this time the other variety Scarlet Emperor were well on their way and ready to be planted out. I planted the SE and then soaked the Streamline over night and planted them immediately at the same station as the SE and within days I had a 100% strike and they caught up very quickly. So this was two beans per cane and enjoyed an enormous crop. This coming year I shall soak overnight and plant all my runners direct and not use pots of any description. We are troubled with Mice here and it is because of these pests and the hope of earlier crops that I ever entertained using pots but really I do not think much was ever gained. The Mice were not attracted to those planted direct last year so perhaps my fears are unfounded.
John,
I totally immerse my seeds overnight and they do not seem to come to any harm but I certainly would not leave them fully immersed awaiting germination. In my posting regarding Sweet Peas I immerse overnight to get moisture to initiate the germinating process but leave them for another 24 hours covered with a moist rag to prevent them drying out.
Then they get sown. This also applies to Runner Beans and Broad Beans
soak overnight and then drain off and cover with a moist rag. I employ a tea tray and tea towels one laid on the tray and the beans put on that and another tea towel moistened over the top which I keep moist by mist spraying. This way you can very soon note when the Radicle appears and then plant up as soon as this appears. This was the method employed when I used to sell bean plants on the retail market only sow those which are going to grow.
When planting beans that have begun germination and the radicle showing is best planted facing downwards. The old Scar Downwards Planting Advice.
JB.

JB - I've often wondered how the germination process is handled in commercial garden centres because you often see pots of seedlings for sale which are supposed to contain a certain number of seedlings, yet only a couple have actually germinated, so of course nobody is going to buy those particular ones, which is obviously a commercial loss. Although the separate germination is perhaps more time consuming, it's obviously a more profitable and effective way of ensuring you get the number of seedlings you need to plant out.

Knowing your years of experience as a commecial grower, I find it somewhat reassuring to hear your confession about your runner beans not germinating. It makes me feel somewhat better about my own failures

Hi Primrose,
Although I am not about to reveal all. In my time I have made some gigantic mistakes, not too many mind, and not have always learned by them! Or at least not first time!
Does this mean that I am human? Sometimes I would reply!
JB.