BEAN TIPS

Soak bean seeds in water overnight before sowing. This helps them to break through their tough seed coat faster.

Always use fresh seed. Note the use by date on the seed packet. The longer it is since the beans were harvested from their pods, the less viable they are. In other words, older bean seeds are slower to germinate and may not germinate at all. If they do germinate the plants from older seeds don’t grow as strongly or as quickly.

Sow beans in biodegradable pots so they can be transplanted, pot and all, as soon as it’s warm enough outside. This way the roots are not harmed so, provided you keep them watered, your bean plants will keep on growing without slowing down to make new roots. Try peat pots or make your own little pots from rolled up newspaper or cardboard toilet paper rolls.

Wait until the soil is warm and the risk of frost has passed before you transplant bean seedlings outside. Beans also love to grow from seeds sown straight into the garden but bean seeds won’t sprout before the soil temperature is at least 16˚C day and night, usually in November or December. If we sow bean seeds outdoors too early they just sit there and sulk! Even worse, if the soil is too cold and wet they will rot away to nothing.