Topic: potting on runner beans

[oubykh]

hi all, my first post...

i planted 18 runner beans in a seed tray which is about 2" deep and all but one has germinated. some of them are now 3" tall. but should i transplant them into single pots now or should i wait until they can be planted out? i was concerned that in the seed tray the roots have really no where to go but will transplanting them be a good idea??

Any help gratefully recieved, its been great getting advice 'lurking' on this site but was time to come out into the open!!

[tim]

Well done - lurking's a suspicious activity!!

Can't say yes or no. Beans will cope to about 6" in a tray. Yours have quite good spacing. Take a careful look at the root systems. If they are solidly intertwined, potting up may be sensible if you want to wait more than, say, 2 weeks. But if not, you should be OK for a while. If you lose the  soil from the one you examine, pot it up.

Can't see you on the map so difficult to talk about weather.
Mine are between 4-6" high, have stiff stems, 2 strong green leaves & are showing good new growth at the tip. They are going out today. But being where we are, I shall drape fleece along the row. And put down some SLUG bait under covers!!

If you're worried, pot up a few anyway as back-up, & to compare results?? I'm very much open to correction on this. = Tim

[philcooper]

1. Welcome

2. You don't say where the beans are.
If they're in a greenhouse I would get them out to a hardening off spot as soon as possible, this will slow them down.
As Tim says, they should be ok for a while in 2" and there's only a couple of weeks before they could be planted out - assuming you're not in Alaska

Phil

[oubykh]

cheers guys, good advice

updated profile so you can see i'm growing in (south) wales. the beans have been grown on the shed window shelf which catchs the sun most of the day, but the last few days they have been outside to harden up.
Tim- mine sound not to far off your description of yours so i will plant out within the next 2 weeks i think.
The seedlings i bought and planted last year were almost all destroyed by slugs so i was intending on using plastic bottle cloches for initial protection once in my plot

[tim]

But you're not on the map? Haverfordwest? Solva? My father market-gardened in those parts. Lovely! Very mild - you should be laughing. = Tim

[oubykh]

No not that far west, just outside cardiff. Good site with heavy soil.
I only did a 'little wigwam' of runners last year but going for the full row this time - if the slugs let me!!

[tim]

Yes - sorry - you did say south Wales. = Tim