We have had 100% germination wth the same variety of french bean.
We sowed ours in 3" pots of normal compost then put them in our unheated greenhouse (although a few days before that they were in a small heated room indoors because we hadn't got the greenhouse then).
The main problem is that some seeds can go mouldy then they die.
What we do (with broad and runner beans too) is to cut a very small notch into the outer tough seed casing, one just below where the root comes out and one somewhere on the other side of the bean.
You have to make sure you don't cut too deep. Just deep enough to see the whitish/yellow colour of the seed itself.
The reason we do this is to allow water to get to the seed directly. Water soaks into the seed quicker without having to wait for the outer tough casing to soften up first.
We have found that this aids and quickens germination.
Just checked our site: we sowed the seeds on April 15 and they formed roots by April 18. They started to germinate by April 24 (9 days from sowing to germination).
Last edited by Mike and Louise; 09-05-2008 at 02:41 PM.
|