[wyandotty]

I recently put in some broad beans and some came up and some didn't.  When I had a dig around in the soil to find out why they hadn't appeared I noticed some of them were growing downwards so I gently eased them out and turned them up the other way.  Now they are all coming up fine.  As I am about to do runners as well I am wondering, is there a right and a wrong way? 

My father, who has been growing veg for years said that the centre of the kidney shape should go upwards, is this right?

[barbarella]

I sow mine on edge rather than flat so that they are less likely to rot, and scar side up though I'm not sure if makes any difference.

[strangerachael]

It may be that the ones you planted the 'right' way up just came up quicker as they were already pointing in the right direction, whereas the upside down ones had to travel further - they probably would have come up on their own eventually, they do somehow know which way their roots/shoots are supposed to grow!

[JayG]

If I remember rightly from "O" level biology ( ) when germinating runner bean seeds trapped between wet blotting paper and the side of a glass jar, if the bean is vertical with the "scar" at the bottom the root goes straight down and the growing shoot straight upwards, so in theory this is the easiest way for such seeds to germinate without having to "sort themselves out".

In practice it doesn't seem to make that much difference!

(Well, you did ask!!  )

[alibean]

I always sow a few extra at the end of thw row to fill in any gaps later...

[mumofstig]

I just make sure that they are on edge, as they seem to rot if they are laying flat

sorry, Barbarella, I've just seen your post..I'm glad we agree 

[sunshineband]

Roots respond to gravity positively so grow downwards, shoots the opposite, so they sort them selves out whatever way round they go in tbh 

[Yabba]

I just make sure that they are on edge, as they seem to rot if they are laying flat

sorry, Barbarella, I've just seen your post..I'm glad we agree 

I sow mine on edges cos it's easier to push them into the soil that way

¥

[sunshineband]

I just make sure that they are on edge, as they seem to rot if they are laying flat

sorry, Barbarella, I've just seen your post..I'm glad we agree 

I sow mine on edges cos it's easier to push them into the soil that way

¥

Logical 

[Yabba]

They still appear to be growing, god knows how twisted they are under the soil

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[sunshineband]

They still appear to be growing, god knows how twisted they are under the soil

¥

They'll be fine, don't worry 

[Yabba]

I'm not renowned for worrying ... otherwise I'd know which was the scar side


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[sunshineband]

I'm not renowned for worrying ... otherwise I'd know which was the scar side


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[rikknikk]

After reading this I have just turned mine around in their seed pot, will they still survive moving them after they have started to sprout?

[JayG]

I'm not renowned for worrying ... otherwise I'd know which was the scar side
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You obviously don't give your bean seeds a "damned good thrashing" before planting then!