[Li]

Evening all had a fun day planting some seeds today 1st lot this year i am a bit late but hey oh summer is on its way , was wondering does it make any difference to soak the bean or just put in the ground looking for best results from growers many thanks in advance xx

[GrannieAnnie]

I always plant my beans in 3" pots late April, then they are a nice size to go out by late May once the last frosst have gone.  I never soak them first, but others on here do soak.

[Li]

Thank you GrannieAnnie  will get the pots all sorted by next weekend i will try some soaked and some dry and see how we get on xx

[Paul Plots]

I often soak mine first (I do like to faff about sometimes). When I know for certain that my saved seed is going to germinate I do the same as GrannieAnnie... I plonk them in pots and let them take their time.

Don't rush to get them out in the open - a hard frost will flatten them! 

[Christine]

Never even think of sorting out runner beans till May 1st up here. As for soaking - have never done so yet. Mine go into pots to get started and then planted out when big enough.

[Yana]

I've never soaked runner bean seeds but do soak peas.
I'll be starting them this weekend and put two seeds per pot and remove the weaker one.

[JayG]

My beans are saved White Lady from last year but because one or two of the pods possibly weren't quite ripe I'll soak and pre-germinate them to make sure I'm not sowing any duds (otherwise I wouldn't bother.)

[pdblake]

I've soaked mine for the very first time this year. Self saved Painted Lady (don't tell the EU )

[azubah]

I tried soaking mine once and they went very smelly and rotted. Never tried it again. They germinate very easily if it is warm enough.

[Totty]

I put em in the chitter with everything else.

[Li]

 :)Thank you everyone for all your comments xx

[Paul Plots]

My beans are saved White Lady from last year but because one or two of the pods possibly weren't quite ripe I'll soak and pre-germinate them to make sure I'm not sowing any duds (otherwise I wouldn't bother.)

That's why I often get them started before potting up  - saved seed is not always 100% reliable and compost / pots & time can be in short supply. 

[Auntiemogs]

I put em in the chitter with everything else.

Yup, another chitter here too, because I don't have much space so I want to know they've had a good start. 

[pink aubergine]

Saves using up space in greenhouse by cutting down on time spent sitting in pots in there, if you soak for a couple of days then soon up!

[Salmo]

I only saok them for a short time so that they soak up water. That means that you will not need to water them until they emerge.

When you first put them in water the skins become wrinkled. After a while the beans inside swell to fill the skins so they go smooth again. That takes about 12 hours. At that point I tip the water off. I do not wait for them to chit before planting.