Do you have to dry bean seed?

[HunkieDorie23]

I have what is probably a stupid question but here goes... do you have to dry bean seed to plant them?

Here is the situation, I ordered some heirloom seed vaults from my patriot supply. A pack of green bean seed (blue lake bush) is not enough for me to plant for a garden in a year. But they have a short growing season so I thought I could plant the entire pack for seed... let them go to seed then plant for a second planting. Sounds good on paper but I would have to plant early in April in a hoop house for extra grow time and it will take longer then 60 days to let them go to seed then I would have to grow again without letting them dry first and I wasn't sure if that would be an option because they wouldn't have time to grow.

Option 2: Order seed for my garden as I regularly would and grow a pack from the seed vault just for seed. Harvest my regular garden and can them (ummm) and let the others go to seed and dry them for next year. If I get seed from another company I could add some of the seed with them and have a more diverse stock but again I would be buying seed again I am wanting to get away from that and become more self suffient.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

That's a pretty good question. I have seen green seeds sprout when they are laying in a puddle so maybe they are viable for planting too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You're in SE Ohio. Might be possible.

I did that last year with Blue Lake Bush but we had a real early spring. I planted them, canned a couple of cannings and let then go to seed. Then planted that seed and got a couple of really good cannings in the fall. Of course we had a fairly late fall. Well, we had one early light freeze but I covered th plants with sheets I got at a thrift store where I volunteer for $1.25 each for king size flats. That kept them alive. Then the weather warmed back up.

They do have to dry but I'm not sure there is any wait for them to break dormancy. Like Smiles, if I leave dried beans in the garden and it rains, the ones touching the ground will often sprout.

 

[897tgigvib]

Yes

maybe someone will have some exception examples

 

[ducks4you]

It's fun midwinter to gather the dried out pods, and shuck the beans. I burn the outsides and save the seeds for next year. I've had excellent results from planting these.

 

[vfem]

I've just been picking our dried ponds from our late summer batch of blue lake pole beans. All crunchy and dry and nice....

I've never done it until this year rather then buy them.

IF you would like.... I can mail you some. I literally have collected 100's of ponds and that will save you the hassle. Unless you want to experiment? Just PM me your address & I'll send you a bag of 'em.

 

[hoodat]

A fully developed but not completely dry bean will sprout faster than a dry one but there is the danger of it molding in the ground before it sprouts. Dry beans are safer to plant.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Thanks for all the information. It does help and a big thanks to Ridgerunner who is sending me extra seed so I will have enough right off the bat.