[al78]

Back in May I sowed 24 French beans ( dwarf and climbing variety) in pots of which 14 germinated. At the beginning of June I sowed around 100 direct outside from the same two packets and not one single bean came up. As the slugs got some of the first few I sowed 25 of the climbing variety in pots outside two weeks ago and only seven germinated (of which the slugs got two). Is this normal?

[maxie]

Its a bit poor that, i always sew in pots myself and they germinate well,you didnt have the compost too wet did you,as the seed can rot.
Ive had nice germination in the ground before,then next day a nice row of stalks where theyve been chewed down by slugs 

[Rosehip]

For me it was a bad year for bean germination,so I got a lunch box put some damp kitchen roll on the bottom and placed the seeds on it, another damp piece on top and put the lid of the lunch box on top.Kept it on the kitchen table and with in 2-3 day you could see the sprout so potted them up.Some took 4-5 day to sprout so I did it in two batches.I got 100 % germination and they are flying.I have picked 2.5lb of beans from tunnel already and will get the same today.I have chitted another batch  hth

[Beetroot queen]

My french beans have been ok it was the blooming runners i had trouble with.

Altough my french at home look like climbers and on the plot dwarfs, yet they all came from the same packet 

[Yorkie]

Were they all from the same packet / source?

It's possible they were just a bad batch?

[mumofstig]

I find they rot easily if watered a lot........... they need enough to swell initially, after that not much

[JayG]

Agree with Mum - low temperatures and/or too much water can make them rot even after germination (runner beans are the same - relatively big seeds which can absorb and hold a lot of water.)

Lost quite a few climbing French beans of an early sowing in the greenhouse, and having dug a few up and separated the cotyledons most of them had a small root but the shoots had rotted off inside.

The survivors are just starting to produce though and I expect to start picking within the next few days, which just about serves the purpose of trying to have beans to pick a few weeks before the runners start producing. 

[al78]

Just had a look and it looks like they have rotted shortly after germination. At least I know now to cut down on the watering, at least until they poke through the surface.