Bloody French beans

[Sarico]

Ok I can grow and cheat successfully peas, sweetcorn up in no time, runner beans They take their time, but I can successfully rotten the tiny French beans. Direct sow nothing, cheat them nothing, in pot nothing, I sown in module out of 30only 2 but even them have funny distorted leaves.. Tried different compost and seed packet from different company but nothing. I need 15 plants and before I sow over 200 seeds hoping to get some to come up does any of you can give me any advice to get right?

[Nicos]

I think you are probably sowing them too early, they really don't like cold wet soil especially at night and tend to rot?
We sow ours much later than any of the other beans.

[Thelma Sanders]

I agree they don't like these cold nights outside and especially hate cold wet soil - if you start them indoors in modules keep the compost barely damp

[kathyd]

I always have problems with them too Sarico. I often get nothing from early sowings, and have to wait until about June or even July before they grow. I sow them shallow in pots, and don't water much. I've not even started to sow any yet this year - it's been cold, often grey and windy and not like May should be at all! I may try a few in a week or so. Good luck!

[brownfingers]

My dwarf french beans were brill last year. This time, thy have only had a germination rate of 20%. In modules, in the green house. DUH!

[sparrow100]

After this year I really will learn - DFB in a heated propagator = 20% germination. DFB in the kitchen in a damp seedtray of compost = 90% germination.

[Scarlet]

I put mine on my kitchen window sill or near my Aga. French beans need a soil temp of 12 to grow successfully. It's much too cold to direct sow at the moment. I tried an early crop for the GH and although they are flowering they have looked a little sad in the mornings that we've had with heavy frost. It's been a hard Spring

[Sarico]

Ok then I'll try again next week when I make some more space on the windowsill. As long I'm not too late.

[Nicos]

Plenty of time!

[WendyC]

I sowed some quite late last year and had a nice crop, which were cropping into September and even October if I remember rightly.

[bearded bloke]

Best method I've found for chitting french beans is to soak some kitchen towel & wring out the excess, fold & place it in a shallow tray/dish, put the seeds on the paper leaving a reasonable space between & place in a polythene bag (fold the open end under the tray/dish), here are some I started last weekend .....




They will be in loo rolls filled with lightly damped MPC later today


The same method can be used for other "problem" seeds, here are some parsnip seeds (also started last weekend) .......

[skeggijon]

I've found my french beans are much more successful for me if I direct sow in June. Always seem to get a good crop since giving up mollycoddling them

[Sarico]

I will try that metod with the paper towel. I've chitted the peas and sweetcorn as 2 shed suggested and o had very good sprout. I also blame the weather as well. Plenty time to start again and again lol

[chefgage]

I have never chitted my bean seeds. I always start them in a heated proper gator on the window sill then pot them on into bigger pots until they are about 15 to 20 cm high. Never seem to have a problem with them germinating this way. At this point they go out in the raised beds in the garden.

The first lot I pot outside did not turn out well this year. We have had lots of persistent wind and I came home from work to a bit of a disaster. All the bean plants leaves had fell off so I had a bed of stalks!!! Ah well got a load more French bean plants nearly ready for planting outside.

[Snow]

I have had success this week putting them a cm deep in compost on a sunny windowsill. I water a little to start and if it dries out in the heat. If cloudy like today they get no water. All mine are coming up now.

I used same approach a month ago with dwarf French beans.