ducks4you
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Is your soil compacted?
Green bean woes
- Thread starter desertcat
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catjac1975
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Only one season did I have such a problem. I think I got several batches of bad seed. Try soaking the seed just long enough for it to swell and then plant. Water a bit every day until they come up. Then water as usual.
Beans should be easy. Perhaps your climate is not right for them. Always use a variety of seed when you have trouble with something.
Beans should be easy. Perhaps your climate is not right for them. Always use a variety of seed when you have trouble with something.
ducks4you
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ALSO, save your seed for next year. I did that in 2010, and I swear every blasted seed I put out in 2011 sprouted.
digitS'
Garden Master
Really!??marshallsmyth said:
Chickadees? Two species are here, Mountain & Black-capped. And, they are so quick! I bet it would be hard to catch them in the act. I've blamed magpies and have seen them prancing their way thru the garden looking for things.
Never had much trouble with beans germinating. Fresh seed should make a difference but I don't see how inoculant would.
Steve
897tgigvib
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Regular city Chickadees are not much of a problem. They like bugs more, and in the past century have discovered a great place to get easy pickings for bugs. Cars in parking lots. The front of cars around the grille. It's these Mountain Chickadees are the culprits getting sprouts and young soft shoots. Cute lil birdies though. They seem intelligent and social.
catjac1975
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Use a row cover over your seeds to keep out the birds until the plants are too big for them to bother.
seedcorn
Garden Master
I agree, dig them up when you see the first one come up. If you see no seed, you have a varmit of some type, eating lunch on your nickle.
I could be grubs, wire worms, seed maggots, diseases (Pythium or Photophoria). It could be crusting problems that will break the necks as they try to come through. You could also have insects as bean beetles, sand fleas that will kill them after they get up. On sand, you can have sand blasting that will kill seedlings but cause no other problems. Last but not least, if you are using commercial fertilizers or strong fertilizer that isn't commercial, you can kill the germ on seeds if it is close to the germinating seed.
Innoculates are great when they start to mature but are of no value in terms of germination.
Depending upon where you bought your seed, new seed would better be described as different seed, as many outlets carry over left over seed and sell it next year. In varieties like corn, no big deal but with beans it can be a deal killer.
I could be grubs, wire worms, seed maggots, diseases (Pythium or Photophoria). It could be crusting problems that will break the necks as they try to come through. You could also have insects as bean beetles, sand fleas that will kill them after they get up. On sand, you can have sand blasting that will kill seedlings but cause no other problems. Last but not least, if you are using commercial fertilizers or strong fertilizer that isn't commercial, you can kill the germ on seeds if it is close to the germinating seed.
Innoculates are great when they start to mature but are of no value in terms of germination.
Depending upon where you bought your seed, new seed would better be described as different seed, as many outlets carry over left over seed and sell it next year. In varieties like corn, no big deal but with beans it can be a deal killer.
- Thread starter
- #18
desertcat
Attractive To Bees
Thanks guys! Today's inspection showed 2 more sprouts...in different places, of course, but at least it's bean sprouts. Dug around in the 1st bed I planted about a month ago and found the seeds. Dumped in water for a couple of hours and replanted closer to the surface. Now I wait and see if anything happens.
So far I have 2 growing in native soil with minimal amendment, 1 in native soil with heavy compost amendment and 1 in a real sharp draining raised bed. I also started about a dozen seeds on paper towels yesterday.
As far as birds go, I WISH I had chickadees! They're one of my faves, but they absolutely HATE the panhandle
What I do have are blue jays and tons of doves. We had a roadrunner around a couple of years ago, which is one reason I fenced the whole 24 x 120 ft thing with bird (and kitten) proof mesh.
On the bright side, my tomatoes are absolutely loaded and I beat the bugs to my broccoli!!
So far I have 2 growing in native soil with minimal amendment, 1 in native soil with heavy compost amendment and 1 in a real sharp draining raised bed. I also started about a dozen seeds on paper towels yesterday.
As far as birds go, I WISH I had chickadees! They're one of my faves, but they absolutely HATE the panhandle
What I do have are blue jays and tons of doves. We had a roadrunner around a couple of years ago, which is one reason I fenced the whole 24 x 120 ft thing with bird (and kitten) proof mesh.On the bright side, my tomatoes are absolutely loaded and I beat the bugs to my broccoli!!
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desertcat
Attractive To Bees
Well, the mystery has been solved! Had almost 100% germination in the baggies and some more sprouted in the garden and I was doing the happy dance. Then they all disappeared. 
Further sleuthing has uncovered (literally) a massive invasion of pillbugs. I'm now engaged in an act of mass destruction and will try my beans again.
Love being a gardener...we never give up!
Further sleuthing has uncovered (literally) a massive invasion of pillbugs. I'm now engaged in an act of mass destruction and will try my beans again.Love being a gardener...we never give up!
Just-Moxie
Garden Addicted
Too bad pill bugs can't be cooked up and served over cornbread...huh 
I had a great row of bush beans growing, so planted my 2nd round 2 weeks ago. I had been letting my 7 chickens free range. Well, they went in and scratched up (and ate), every seed I had planted....crawling around on hands and knees....on 30' rows. They were also scratching up my sweet potato row....twice in one day!! That evening, I bribed them all with a slice of bread...and tossed them back into the cage. No more free ranging for them
I had a great row of bush beans growing, so planted my 2nd round 2 weeks ago. I had been letting my 7 chickens free range. Well, they went in and scratched up (and ate), every seed I had planted....crawling around on hands and knees....on 30' rows. They were also scratching up my sweet potato row....twice in one day!! That evening, I bribed them all with a slice of bread...and tossed them back into the cage. No more free ranging for them
