Soak Beans

[whoose]

Do you recommend soaking bean before planing? If so how long?

[Gardenboy]

Here in south Florida, I just plant them about 1 inch deep and cover them with worm castings. I've never soaked them before planting. I DO soak them over night before I cook them.

[RayR]

Hydrating the seed has to happen sometime, so soaking the seed before planting will get a jump on that. If you are soaking, probably 12-24 hours is good enough.
I sometimes even pre-sprout the seeds before planting especially if it's older seed that I'm not so sure of the viability and germination rate.

[guruofgardens]

I soak my beans at least 3 days, making sure I see a 'tail' and then can plant them. I've had quite a few duds before and would rather not have to go back to fill in the dead spaces.

[Father'sDaughter]

I never have and they usually come up fine once the soil is warm enough. I stick an old probe thermometer in the ground where my beans are going and wait until it's at least 50F.

[rxkeith]

i don't soak my beans.

i mighta read, that if you soak them, only do it for two to four hours,
something like that. i direct seeded some provider beans that came into
my possession from someone local that was no longer gardening. i have
a one pound package of seeds, several years old. i can't say every seed
came up, but a whole bunch did. old, old beans might be good to soak, and
keep moist till you see a tail, to speed things up, and eliminate the need to replant.
watch out for mold development on any beans you soak. mold may be good on cheese,
but not beans.



keith

[brownrexx]

I soak peas because they get planted in cool soil and germinating quicker helps to prevent rotting of the seed but it's warm when I plant beans so I never soak them. They germinate quickly.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by rxkeith

i don't soak my beans.

i mighta read, that if you soak them, only do it for two to four hours,
something like that. i direct seeded some provider beans that came into
my possession from someone local that was no longer gardening. i have
a one pound package of seeds, several years old. i can't say every seed
came up, but a whole bunch did. old, old beans might be good to soak, and
keep moist till you see a tail, to speed things up, and eliminate the need to replant.
watch out for mold development on any beans you soak. mold may be good on cheese,
but not beans.
keith

When you see mold on a seed that's a sure indication that the seed is dead. Saprophytic fungi only consume dead organic matter, they are not pathogens so they will leave the viable living seeds alone.
I don't actually soak the seed in a bowl of water, you can hydrate the seed in a closed container or bag on a wet paper tower or bed of DE and just let the seed absorb the water like many of us may do with tomato, pepper or other seed to pre-sprout them. You need air and water to germinate a seed so this method works where just soaking a seed in water alone for days won't cause a seed to germinate. If there are any dead seed, they generally will have visible mold growing on them within a week and live seed that germinated right next to them with no mold.