Am i best off planting these and my runner beans inside first and then planting them out or sowing them direct. Have enough loo rolls for the runners but should i put the french beans in trays or pots if i start them off inside? Also my braod beans are looking a bit tall, can i plant them up to their leaves like i did with the tomatoes or is taht not recommended?
Cheers, Sparky
I have both in the greenhouse. Climbers in loo rolls, dwarf in modues. I'll also sow both direct, that way the bean season is staggered a bit.
You ask>>Am i best off planting these and my runner beans inside first.....Yes (in my opinion)
Also my braod beans are looking a bit tall, can i plant them up to their leaves like i did with the tomatoes ....Plant them out now, doesn't really matter about the depth....top of pot = ground level when I plant out mine.
Starting off the earliest sowing indoors means you can have strong plants to go out earlier than they would germinate (and survive) if planted directly into the garden and so an earlier first picking
Another advantage is that you get ~100% germination indoors so saving on seed and in my case the slugs don't get to eat the newly emerging seedlings
For later sowings outdoors has less advantages
Phil
Better check the greenhouse for snails - found one of the leaves on my cauli half eaten.... :(
Re slugs in greenhouse..........I have found the tiny/baby one seems to nestle in the rim of plant trays along with moth/butterfly chrysallis.
Meaning it is worth while running a hand brush around the rim to remove these 'lodgers' prior to using the tray.
I've also found slime trails over my cactus - so the idea of putting something sharp like eggshells around plants to discourage the little darlings seems a little bit optimistic