My first lot of runner bean's fail so went out and bought another lot and they are growing like crazy after only a week. The first lot were fresh seed bought this year as were the second lot. I suppose some times they just fail but I will collect my own seed then I know they are fresh.
Put them in a glass jar, add fresh cold tap water and soak them overnight. Next day, drain off the water, rinse them in fresh water and drain. Rinse them twice a day, keeping them on an indoor window sill. After a few days, most of them should have germinated. Any that haven't probably aren't going to. Then you can plant them out or sow them into yogurt pots and keep them under cover for a bit longer if you don't like the look of the weather. Or plant them out and cover each one with a clear plastic bottle or glass jar. By pre-sprouting them, you avoid wasting time and space on non-viable seed.
Sometimes when you think they haven't germinated, I think maybe the slugs get them the moment they emerge from the ground.
And don't forget the old country saying:
"One for the pigeon, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."
I had great difficulty with runner bean "Fire Storm" out of thirty seeds only seven germinated yet my others "Moonlight" thirty out of thirty I wondered if last years hot weather caused a problem with some bean seed as others I have spoken to have had varying results this year with various bean germination. 🐗
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Thanks for the top-tip @josusa47. After the initial soak in water on day one, do you just leave them damp in the jar or on wet tissue in a tray or something?
In my experience French beans both dwarf & climbing need really fresh seed, Runner beans usually last longer but the old varieties were better, I had very patchy germination with mine this year. I always start my climbing beans in root trainers & then plant out, when hardened off.
I had pretty poor germination of French beans (but I don't need many, so I had enough) and 100% germination of runners (but I hardly grow any). I too start them in root trainers and then plant out, due to squirrels digging up seeds and sometimes slug damage. This year, just to make thjngs harder for myself, I was growing chives in the same bed, which I think stunted the bean growth. Removed the chives, and just as the beans seemed to be starting to grow properly, the squirrels bit most of them off, leaving just a couple of inchesof stalk. This always happens, but not to so many. I attempted to replace by sowing seeds direct, as I usually do, with some protection (rings, sticks etc) but the squirrels have dug the lot up. So it's back to the root trainers for another go. As the germination rate was so poor for the French beans, I'll give your method a try, josusa.
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Put them in a glass jar, add fresh cold tap water and soak them overnight. Next day, drain off the water, rinse them in fresh water and drain. Rinse them twice a day, keeping them on an indoor window sill. After a few days, most of them should have germinated. Any that haven't probably aren't going to. Then you can plant them out or sow them into yogurt pots and keep them under cover for a bit longer if you don't like the look of the weather. Or plant them out and cover each one with a clear plastic bottle or glass jar. By pre-sprouting them, you avoid wasting time and space on non-viable seed.
Sometimes when you think they haven't germinated, I think maybe the slugs get them the moment they emerge from the ground.
And don't forget the old country saying:
"One for the pigeon, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
After the initial soak in water on day one, do you just leave them damp in the jar or on wet tissue in a tray or something?