Can I grow Runner Beans from seed wintered outdoors ON the plant ?

[TheMidnightGrower]

At the end of last years season I had a few bean pods left on the remains of my outdoor runner beans. I took most of the old plants down but for curiosity & nature reasons I left the last few plants intact overwinter to see what would happen to the plants and beans as the seasons changed and what would eat them.

To my surprise, the very large fat beans have hung on safely wrapped in their dried up pods up on the plants for the whole winter, through frosts, rain and wind. The last week or so I have started to find the odd very fat, fully moist bean seed apparently perfect and healthy, now landing on the ground. The majority are still in the dried out pods up on the plants.

I thought I would plant these moist overwintered seeds up in pots and see what happens / see if any grow despite the damp 'storage' and frosts.

I am wondering how they will compare to the samples from the same range of plants which I took indoors and dried for seed - If they grow, will they be faster or healthier/weaker than the dry stored seed?

Anyone else successfully tried growing runner or other bean seeds 'stored' outdoors on the plant in this way?

[Ananke]

I've grown healthy, productive plants from runner and french bean seeds that were left out on the plants over a fairly harsh winter. I didn't sow them until late spring though.

[TheMidnightGrower]

I've grown healthy, productive plants from runner and french bean seeds that were left out on the plants over a fairly harsh winter. I didn't sow them until late spring though.

Interesting reply, thanks. Would you say there are any advantages to storing seed in this way?

I thought I would try planting them as they fell, wondering if the plant knew best! I will definitly save some for late spring though if you found that the best time.

Did you sow them in the open air or plant them under glass?

[Ananke]

I don't think there were any real advantages to leaving them out on the plants.

I sowed them in an unheated greenhouse at the end of April and planted them outside at the beginning of June.

It will be interesting to see how the ones you sow outside now get on.

[Thelma Sanders]

Where they choose to grow naturally is in a warmer climate, If they fell to the ground here I doubt they'd grow....but then again after a very mild winter the roots can regrow.
So I suppose it just depends on the weather, as always

[Jimny14]

Well the way nature does it is to keep the seeds on the plant or in the digestive tract of an animal or in the ground, depending on species until the weather cues the seed in to germination. So in theory planting them where they fall would sound like good sense. However we've been breeding plants for food purposes for so long I wonder if we've bred out some characteristics from the plants due to our selective breeding. I'm not sure how successfully we can now leave seeds out over winter as we've bred lots to be cleared in the autumn to clear the space on the plot.
Absolutely no harm in trying and it would be very interesting to see what happens and see if stored seed from the same variety grow better or worse.

[nickdub]

"I thought I would plant these moist overwintered seeds up in pots and see what happens "

No harm in giving it a try - I'd pop 3 or 4 on damp paper in a plastic container and put it on top of a radiator or similar. Give you time to find some others elsewhere if they don't germinate.