Dwarf beans in a cold greenhouse, when?

[Jimmy]

I was hoping for some early beans.
I can start them off in a nice heated propagator.
And then put them in the cold(ish) greenhouse.
I will put them in one of those chepo plastic trough planters.

But the big question is, when to start them???

Any suggestion.
I suppose I could do a few now and more in a week or so.

Thanks Jimmy

[Small pumpkin]

I’m also trying for some early beans. I’ve got some germinating now. They are in an unheated propagator in the polytunnel. When big enough some will go into the tunnel raised bed and some into a couple of tubs in the smaller cooler tunnel. I have no idea if it’s going to work . I’ve just got my fingers crossed.

[Jimmy]

If I was limited to one veg then it would be french beans.
Shop bought ones are nothing compared to home grow.
The Wife absolutly love them.
I usually grow climbing bean Cobra but will use a dwarf one for the greenhouse.

Jimmy

[burnie]

Key things for any tender plants is the temperature, I live by my thermometer(or more to the point my plants do), earlier in the week I was still getting minus temperatures over night inside the greenhouse. You also have to consider the range of temps as well, usually I leave the auto vents disconnected until the end of April to warm the border soil up, but as I am actively growing peas and carrots along with salads, I have connected up the top vents. For these reasons I have not yet sowed any beans, you will get away with Broad beans, but that would be all, certainly in the north of the UK.

[Snadger]

In one greenhouse I had years ago I had toms down one side, a bench full of peppers on other side, a grapevine overhead and a free gable end I wanted to utilise. French beans (of the climbing variety) were planted along the gable end with a cane framework to grow them up.
This was a major success and | had loads of beans right up up the apex of the greenhouse. If you haven't already bought the seeds Jimmy I can highly recommend using climbing French beans indoors for an early bumper harvest.

Having said that, I totally agree with Burnie on this one and would put off sowing until it warms up a bit yet possibly May or even June.

[veggiechicken]

I sowed some DFBs yesterday - they're on the windowsill. I'll plant some in buckets in the GH (to move out when more room is needed and some outdoors.

[Scarlet]

I remember that post from years ago Snadger - and I've grown climbing beans in the GH ever since.


I grow Dwarf beans for an early crop...often ready mid June. I start in April and I always cover with feeece and then newspapers at night if the temps go really low. Some years things go well, others not so for the sake of a few seeds I think it's worth a shot.

[bramble]

My beans, District Nurse, are in the cold greenhouse and are growing ok.
I do fleece them at night.
I started them off in the propagator.

[Mark_Riga]

Last year I had a lot of tender plants in pots in the greenhouse even though it got cold at night. I covered them with a double layer of fleece over night which obviously did the trick. I'll wait a week or 2 more (keeping eye on forecasts) as lst night registeered -3C here.

[Scarlet]

Last year I had a lot of tender plants in pots in the greenhouse even though it got cold at night. I covered them with a double layer of fleece over night which obviously did the trick. I'll wait a week or 2 more (keeping eye on forecasts) as lst night registeered -3C here.

Yes it was that here! And a couple of dalias got hit...even though they were fleeced.

[Jimmy]

Ok I will try a few now and more in mid april. Fleece at night was a good tip.
Thanks Jimmy