British Expat Forum

Every year I order seeds from Thompson & Morgan, and every year I order runner beans called White Lady. They have white flowers and seem to produce really well here. Anyway, every year they send me a free package - well they send everybody I guess - a free package of runner beans - the ones with the red flowers.

Last year for some reason, the white flowered ones did not germinate - we only got about 5 plants. So my husband planted the red flowered ones.

We don't have enough room to plant two large packets of runner beans and so if we don't use the one package this year, can we save it and plant them next year?

Some seeds seem to store well, and others don't Which are which will take someone more knowledgeble than me.

The Milennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place must have a way of doing it.

One thing I do know is that it is best to store them in a paper bag of some sort, not a plactic bag.

good luck.

Alan

Some seeds need to be sown fresh, and will not keep. Others will keep for years, and there are a host in between.

When you cultivate ground which has been fallow for years, or even decades, the first thing you get is a crop of weeds. Seeds can lie dormant in the ground for decades, then when exposed to light, erupt.

But most seeds will store for two or three years unopened, despite the use-by date on the packet. In many cases, once the packet is open (foil-packs especially), the seed will begin to deteriorate.

But the good news, Liz, is that beans are pretty good at germinating after several years, even if they have been exposed to air. Like you, I always have too much seed for one year, and sow the remainder confidently in year two, and optimistically in year three. They don't need to be sealed in the packet. Just keep them dry and cool.

Better still, save your own seed. Beans are one of the easiest. Just let a few pods mature on the plant, ripen them off (again, cool and airy, not somewhere too warm), then store them in a paper bag or envelope (not plastic) in a cool but frost-free place, and you can grow your favourite beans year after year without buying seed.

Mike

Thanks - I will give that a try. Have to remember where I put the beans over the winter though!! I am always putting things in a "safe place" and then I forget what that safe place is. I have started putting a reminder in my Yahoo calendar for when I need the thing next!

Mike wrote:



Yep, I came across several old packets of seeds a few days ago, some opened and some not. (It's easy to mislay things when you keep moving house. ) We planted them and probably about 75% have come up into healthy-looking seedlings. No sign of the others. If you have a spare place to put them, then it's worth a shot. I thought we might be wasting our time because of their age, but it looks as though we'll be rewarded for our efforts.

Have a go!

I've even got a couple self-sown from last year.

Yep, Ruggie, they'll do that. Shed seed (ie those which have been shed naturally from the plant, rather than those kept in a shed), always seem to germinate and grow better than the ones you have deliberately sown. And if you practice crop rotation, as you should, they become annoying weeds.

I always have to remove peas from my tatties or brassicas, because much as I like peas, I never pick them all. And when I remove the remains, some remain to haunt me.

A weed is only a plant growing where you don't want it.

Fitivver, going back to topic, legumes (peas and beans) will keep for several years. Lettuce varieties will usually keep for two. but the germination percentage is reduced, so sow them more thickly. Roots, like parsnips and carrots will not keep. Don't even bother.

The bigger the seed, the better the chances of keeping it for more than a year - that's the rule of thumb.

Mike