Starting beans indoors?

[Urban_Garden]

Hello!
I've been starting seeds indoors since February and most of what I'm growing has already been started but I haven't begun my beans or squash.
So my question is, when and can you start bean seeds indoors? Right now I have some heirloom rattlesnake beans (which I want to take the best care of) and purple pod asparagus bean (which, while ordering I thought was asparagus!). I've heard everything from six weeks to not at all.

Thanks.

[jal_ut]

I would wait and plant those beans and squash seeds directly in the garden after danger of frost is past.

If you have any asparagus seed you can direct seed it now.

[rainbowgardener]

Agree with above. Beans are so quick to germinate and to grow, there's really no benefit to starting them indoors. The days head start you get would just be nullified by the transplant shock and time to harden off.

[Urban_Garden]

Thanks everyone!

If you have any asparagus seed you can direct seed it now.

Btw, can I also directly sow cauliflower at this time?

[AndrewH_TX]

Great information to know!

[rainbowgardener]

Thanks everyone!



Btw, can I also directly sow cauliflower at this time?

Yes, cabbages and broccoli are cold weather crops, can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. I start them indoors in Jan and transplant to outdoors in March, but given that it's now about April, you can just direct seed. I like to give them the head start because they do not do well in hot weather, tend to bolt (go to seed) as soon as it gets really warm.

Start some in Sept for a fall crop.

[jal_ut]

Right now you can direct seed broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, spinach turnip and cauliflower. If you have any onion starts or sets now is the time to plant those too.

In about another week you can direct seed beets carrots parsley, parsnips, Swiss chard.

Wait until danger of frost is past for beans, celery, corn and squash.

Cucumbers and melons need warm weather. I usually plan to plant them Memorial Day. You may be a little earlier there.

[!potatoes!]

please report back later in the season about the 'asparagus beans'...have seen them in a few catalogues, but they were never high enough on the priority list to take the plunge...

[GardenJester]

asparagus beans are great for green bean salads. Appearantly pests agree wholeheartly, lost half of my crop to some kind of grub that ate its' way up the pods. The yield is not that great even if I didn't lose half of my crop.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Just for fun this year, I planted peas and beans in a gutter. The gutters are capped on the ends and filled with potting soil. Planted the seeds and placed the gutters in the greenhouse. Hopefully I can dig a trench and slide the plants, soil root mass right out one end. I've seen this on the net for peas, will it work for beans time will tell

[rainbowgardener]

Does the gutter have any drainage?

[DoubleDogFarm]

rainbow,

No drainage. That's a concern of mine also. I should probably drill some holes in the bottom. Also I thought about lining the bottom of the trough with burlap. The roots would grow into it and I could pull the burlap and all out the gutter.

[rainbowgardener]

Definitely drill holes in the bottom or your beans will just drown/ rot/ die.

[Urban_Garden]

Thanks everyone!



Btw, can I also directly sow cauliflower at this time?

Yes, cabbages and broccoli are cold weather crops, can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. I start them indoors in Jan and transplant to outdoors in March, but given that it's now about April, you can just direct seed. I like to give them the head start because they do not do well in hot weather, tend to bolt (go to seed) as soon as it gets really warm.

Start some in Sept for a fall crop.

Sweet! =D How long do they typically take to be harvestable? (new word?)

[Urban_Garden]

Right now you can direct seed broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, spinach turnip and cauliflower. If you have any onion starts or sets now is the time to plant those too.

In about another week you can direct seed beets carrots parsley, parsnips, Swiss chard.

Wait until danger of frost is past for beans, celery, corn and squash.

Cucumbers and melons need warm weather. I usually plan to plant them Memorial Day. You may be a little earlier there.

Thanks a lot! I was going to wait until May to plant anything! =0


BTW, I really like this gutter idea since junk usually grows in there anyhow. I might as well grow something I can eat! =D

[DoubleDogFarm]

urban,

Thank you. No junk, that's applied later

[rainbowgardener]

broccoli takes about a couple months to harvest, from sprouting or transplanting time. But it will keep going for awhile. It will set one main head. If you cut that off, but leave the plant, it will produce smaller heads on side shoots for awhile.

[Urban_Garden]

Haha, true. Honestly, I don't know the first place to get garden doo!

Sweet, so I'm guessing it is the same with cauliflower? Also, can cauliflower stand a small bit of shade?

[rainbowgardener]

Sweet, so I'm guessing it is the same with cauliflower? Also, can cauliflower stand a small bit of shade?

Yes and yes... the shade may slow it down a bit initially, but once it is starting to get hot, the cauliflower/ broccoli/ cabbage (all in the brassica family) will benefit from the shade.