as you all know i'm very new to the growing scheme of things,recently (2wks ago)i planted some blue lake fcb out in the garden and waited with anticipation.
today i got fed up waiting(my peas are already well on the way)sowed at the same time.
well i unearthed said beans and the ones i found were smothered in 1/4" maggots
what should i do???
sow them again in pots indoors
would these maggots have come from the ground?what would have caused this?do i need to do anything to the soil at all?as i have other beans and peas growing nearby!
there is (i've just found out A Bean Seed Fly). I've never seen them (their maggots) but they do what you describe. They attach germinating beans in the open ground, so plant the beans in pots and plant out when they are a reasonable size. But like I said i've never seen them before, so wait for a second opinion.
http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/pest/bean-seed-fly (http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/pest/bean-seed-fly)
i'm so glad that i sowed some in the placcy house now as well,urgghh horrible little buggers
Hi
I had simular lack of success with blue lake and cobra beans, planting them oftern seems to coincide with a cold wet week in may.
I sow a full tray in the greenhouse early may and plant them out slightly later when the soils warmed up a bit. I think they are much less hardy than most peas ,They romp away once they are rooted and so the delay doesnt make much dfference.
Good luck with your next lot, dont forget that you can save the dried beans to sow next year this letts you have plenty of spares for next years sowing.
x sunloving
I grew some down the centre of my greenhouse and, although the packet said they only grew to 5ft I had to pinch them out at about 9ft and I had a fantastic crop of really early beans.