Topic: French beans not growing

[leon_geordie]

Hi all,
Been a bit of a silent observer for a while.  We got our allotment last year, but this is our first full season of growing  :)

So far things are going well but the dwarf french beans aren't growing very well :(
I've been growing them in paper pots indoors, but so far only 3 have grown from the first 10 sown, and none yet from the next 10 (only sown last week).
Anyone got any advice?  Should I soak the seeds first etc?

Cheers
l_g

[manicscousers]

hiya, leon_geordie, welcome to the site, some of our barlotti didn't appear this year, are they bought seed or saved ones?

[leon_geordie]

hi,
Yes they are bought seed - masterpiece.
The other beans/peas are doing fine.  Just the french beans (the ones I really wanted :( )
l_g

[manicscousers]

i'd wait a bit longer for the week old ones, if it was me, I've put some in damp tissue, in a plastic bag near the radiator, to see if they're viable..
when did you plant the first lot ?

[leon_geordie]

First lot planted on 5th April.
Yes, I haven't given up on the second lot yet.  The 3 that have germinated are growing like triffids.

[manicscousers]

well, at least you've got a start, we only got 1 barlotti from 10, hence the pre-germinating  ;D
mind you, all the rest of the beans are going like mad

[cornykev]

Hi Leon and welcome to the madhouse, as the scousers have said put on damp tissue in the warm and see if they sprout.  ;D ;D ;D

[PurpleHeather]

Don't panic when seeds take for ever to germinate, seedlings idle in their pots refusing to grow into adults and every body else's seem to be growing like Jacks' beanstalk.

Every year I get caught out thinking that I have bought a batch of duff seed and this year is no exception.

I checked the pot with pepper seeds in yesterday 21/04/08. They were sown on 13/03/08, using a cocktail stick I carefully poked through the top layer of compost and found the little devils just popping out of their shells. I recovered with compost and returned them to their staging. I then used the cocktail stick to gently loosen the compost on top of other pots which seemed to have formed a slight crust waiting for the seedlings to pop up.

Many of my plants seem to be doing nothing too.

If they look healthy, they will come on and catch up. Be patient, gardening is not an exact science.

[greenfinger]

my dawrf french been have all germinated but they have been at the 2 true-leave stage for weeks. I think it is because of the weather, it's too cold and it's stunting growth.
my tomatoes are doing the same but we've had 2 days of milder weather and the 2nd set of true leaves has appeared.

as soon as it gets warmer things will pick up. :D

[antipodes]

I always do the dwarf beans straight in the ground once the weather gets quite warm, e.g. late in May: I find they grow like billy-o after a few warm days. But then I don't have the space to do them in pots either...

[Plot69]

You could try treating them like sweet peas and use a nail file.

File through the shell at the opposite side to the the little white eye just enough for the seed to show. It only needs to be a small hole. This helps them take in the moisture quicker than  waiting for the shell to soften.

I sit for hours doing my sweet peas this way, beans are a lot larger and much easier.

[leon_geordie]

Hi all,
Thanks for the advice.  I'll probably try something from everyone  :D Some in the ground, some set to chit, some filed like sweet peas...  I can see what works and then take it from there.
We're treating this year as an experiment just to see what works/fails, what we like etc.
Cheers
l_g

[saddad]

Welcome to the madhouse Leon... if you are in Geordie Land it will still be too cold for them...We sow at the end of April or early May here in Derby..
 ;D

[Trevor_D]

And I haven't sown mine yet, even though I'm down in the sunny south....

[leon_geordie]

No not in geordie land now - just from there originally  ;D
I'm down Bristol way now.
l_g

[star]

Hi and welcome Leon :D

Im in Northampton and will sow mine under cover at the beginning of May , so hopefully I can put them out after 3 or 4 weeks and not have to keep them too long indoors.

Well thats the plan anyway ::)