French climbing beans- slow germination

**FionaH** · 18-05-2009, 03:41 PM

mine took a good two weeks or so, maybe a bit longer

**rana** · 18-05-2009, 03:42 PM

If you dont see anything very soon re-sow. It depends on how old the seed is but for Blue Lake I would expect them to be pushing up the compost within 2 weeks. If they get overwatered the bean seeds can rot and go to mush.

**rana** · 18-05-2009, 03:44 PM

Oops, just noticed you're a long way north so I guess it's also a bit cooler there.

**Two_Sheds** · 18-05-2009, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by coreopsis View Post

I planted some french climbeans ...-they are in the shed.

What temp is your shed at night?
Too cold, most likely. They need a constant temp of about 18C to germinate.

**coreopsis** · 18-05-2009, 04:11 PM

Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post

What temp is your shed at night?
Too cold, most likely. They need a constant temp of about 18C to germinate.

I'd say the temperature in the shed won't be lower than 10 degrees at night but I won't get them germinated if they need 18.The house is about 15 and it's fine for me,no way I'm going to heat the house for seeds to come out

I also have 5 Painted Lady sown-3 of them are already out.
Dodgy seeds or lazy seeds then?
Now you got me,I'm going to "furtle"one of the modules.Even 2

**teakdesk** · 18-05-2009, 04:19 PM

15 degC is fine but it takes longer - any colder and germination drops off severely.

At 15 degC I'd say they will all germinate in three weeks or so. At 20degC they could be up in less than 2 weeks.

**Two_Sheds** · 18-05-2009, 06:35 PM

Originally posted by coreopsis View Post

The house is about 15 and it's fine for me,no way I'm going to heat the house

You don't need to. Just create a microclimate with a pop bottle cloche, on a sunny windowsill.
It will be several degrees warmer inside the cloche, than the room temp.

**Flummery** · 19-05-2009, 08:50 AM

Mine have all germinated in the cold greenhouse. I put them there every year but only at the beginning of May. They are now all peeping through. Min. night time temps have got down to about 8 degrees so the shed won't be too cold I don't think.

**Sheppy** · 19-05-2009, 09:09 AM

Like you I was beginning to think that I should throw out ands start again - had same impatience with my free bbc butternut squash seeds - but now suddenly everything is starting to emerge - what joy - simple things eh!

**coreopsis** · 23-05-2009, 09:12 PM

Last week I decided to chuck them out and after some garden rearrangements decided to go for dwarf ones instead.So-got a few packets,sowed them this week.Had a look into the shed and Cobra starts to make an appearance,Painted Lady is all out but not a hoot from Blue Lake.I won't be surprised if I get overwhelmed by french beans this summer

**Incy** · 24-05-2009, 08:11 AM

You can never be overwhelmed with french beans

I have some in troughs to grow up a trellis and one of them hasn't emerged yet whilst the others are a good 5/6" high. I suspect that one really isn't going to emerge so will pop an extra seed in it's place

**gojiberry** · 24-05-2009, 09:40 AM

French beans can sometimes take forever to come up. I have some in root trainers and 2 came up 2 weeks ago others are appearing daily, still not a good germination percentage yet though.

Ian

**wollyanna** · 24-05-2009, 10:00 AM

I'm having the same trouble all my other varieties are doing well good germination but evn with the same conditions sown at trhe same time etc my Cobra and Burro show no signs of emering and I'm in East Yorkshire.Cold greenhouse.

**singleseeder** · 24-05-2009, 12:48 PM

Beans often rot if the compost is kept too damp and it is cold.

Start some more off by soaking the beans for a couple of hours, then put them on top of compost that has been watered, cover with more compost but don't water again. Cover with a poly bag to stop evaporation, put on a sunny windowsill and wait.. No watering, defiantely no furtling............. I'd bring them away from the windowsill at night, just into the room is OK.

Once they have germinated the poly bag can come off. Also, I always water beans in pots from the bottom with water that has been standing in the sun all day. Plastic milk bottles are useful for this.

The trick, particularly with French Beans, is to keep them warm and not too wet, until the planting out stage.

You've plenty of time to start some more off, once the weather is warm, the soon catch up.

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French climbing beans- slow germination

French climbing beans- slow germination

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