Direct sown beans total failure

[ameno]

Two weeks ago I sowed about 35 pre-germinated bean seeds (two types of french and one runner) at my new allotment.
When I went up there today I was wondering what was taking so long for them to come up, and decided to have a dig around. Found the remains of a seedling, full of little maggots. Dug all the others up and they were all the same.
I looked it up, and it seems to be bean seed fly. Very disheartening.

I've put some more on damp tissue to pre-germinate, and this time I shall start them off in pots then plant out when a bit bigger and stronger (this apparently avoids most damage, and the runner bean plants I planted out do indeed seem fine).

I just hope I have long enough now. The french beans I'm growing for green beans should be fine, but I'm growing most of them for dry seeds, and if we don't get a good summer they may now not ripen in time.

[Scarlet]

I think you will have plenty of time. I usually don't plant out until June - starting off sowing seeds mid May.
In poor summers I've just lifted the plants attached to the poles and stuck them in the shed to dry off further.

[toomanytommytoes]

Thank you for bringing my attention a pest I had not heard of before. I think this may be what happened my first direct sowing of bush beans. Many of them came up 'blind' with rotted, brown stubs where the first leaves should have been...they had to be scrapped. The rest developed true leaves but they were often stunted or full of little holes. The resown beans have mostly come up OK and I have transplanted extras from holes where I sowed 2 seeds. The climbing beans in pots in the greenhouse were untouched. Looks like I'll not be sowing direct next year!