I sowed some lazy housewife seeds 9 days ago & only 1 has germinated so far, am I being impatient?
I've grown them before... but OH doesn't like flat pods...
I don't remember any problems with germination but this year I can't get any French Beans to germinate... :-X
I have had some problems with one batch of Odriscoll. I do think think I left them in the pods long enough and they all rotted rather than germinated. I had to put Major Cook pods on the radiator for ages to dry before they passed germination tests ok.
I have found that adding Aloe Vera and germinating on Kitchen Roll can help.
I've just checked & painted lady, lazy housewife & 6 unknown seeds given to many years ago by an elderly neighbour are the only ones struggling to germinate.
Quote from: saddad on June 26, 2010, 14:20:36
I've grown them before... but OH doesn't like flat pods...
I don't remember any problems with germination but this year I can't get any French Beans to germinate... :-X
I had trouble with the first batch I tried too, they were saved seeds and none germinated at all! So I went out and purchased some fresh supplies and they germinated very fast and are in the ground flowering like mad now. My second sowings are proving a bit reluctant this time though! ::)
Mine didn't come up, but the other beans did. It's squashes I've had problems with this year.
Quote from: saddad on June 26, 2010, 14:20:36
I don't remember any problems with germination but this year I can't get any French Beans to germinate... :-X
We have been using the method of the allotment chap on Jeremy Vine's programme.
He puts the seed in a polythene bag of damp compost, and keeps in a warm place until they start to sprout. OH then pots them up into toilet roll inners, ready to establish, and plant out. It has really worked for us.
About the only good thing that has come from the JV show. What a prat. ::) ::)
We have done really well saddad, with boad and runner beans, but particularly with climbing french. If you need any more information I think he has a website.
valmarg
I've just read this thread and I think I've had too much pop tonight. What in the world are Lazy Housewives. I may live with one but I've never tried planting her ;D
The bit I recognised was the french bean and squash seeds. All my bean seed seems to be germinating VERY slowly this year, I put it down to the low humidity and that yellow thing that's hanging about in the sky a lot at the moment. Even the greenhouse has an extra layer of shielding to keep the toms in the shade for fear that the flowers won't set. The weather may sometimes be dull, but there's never a dull moment with the english weather 8)
Lazy Housewife is a climbing French bean. I really fancy some of the PC names they used in Victorian times; that one, fat lazy blonde and drunken woman. The last two are lettuces.
And the beans are brown or white....
http://linearlegume.blogspot.com/2010/02/bean-project-lazy-housewife-brown.html
or
http://linearlegume.blogspot.com/search/label/Lazy%20Housewife%20%5BWhite%5D
So called because it was supposed to be the first stringless bean produced so saved time for wifey who grew it
XX Jeannine