how deep to plant beans?

[hornedtoad1]

I planted some pole beans in with the corn, ala the three sisters--and there have been wildly different germination rates. some are up and doing well, some are barely up, and some never sprouted at all. the package said to plant them deep, an inch to an inch and a half, which I did. now I wonder whether they shouldn't have been planted shallower; this is my first try with beans. or did I just get hold a package of bad seed?

[jal_ut]

An inch to an inch and a half is good depth for beans. Sometimes you will get differing germination times from here to there simply because of the moisture in your soil. Has the area been uniformly damp since planting? Give it a drink of water and a few more days before you panic.

[hornedtoad1]

they're planted along a trench, and watered maybe every other day. I'd read that beans need lots of moisture, so have tried to keep them damp. lots of wind this spring and that dries them out. also, I guess small differences away from the water in the trench would make a difference. the corn's been doing the same thing, some of it taller than the rest.
patience is the thing, I guess. thanks for your input.

[2cents]

I've planted corn & beans together, I find waiting and planting beans second helps(seems the corn needs more time to get going.

I'll wait till the corn is 8-12 inches, then with handle of the hoe poke 4 inch deep holes n drop a couple bean seeds per hole. Don't have to cover as there is adequate moisture in the dark hole, mother nature closes it loosely later as the beans come up.

This may help as the corn tends to be different heights, it will all temper to a more uniform height as the season progresses, depending on variety.

[orgoveg]

An inch is about right. I planted beans in a different location this year and I had the same problem. I think I have narrowed the reason down to a lack of rhizobia in the soil. Beans need rhizobia bacteria in order to absorb nitrogen from the air. I supplemented some fertilizer (containing nitrogen) at the beginning of their growth and that seemed to help.

You might do well in the future to inoculate your seeds with rhizobia before planting. I cannot speak with any expertise as to why your beans (or mine) were troublesome, but through a process of elimination, I conclude that this was my problem.

[garden5]

another thing you can do is to pre-sprout your beans before you plant them. I had good results doing this in the same manner Jal pre-sprouts his peas.

I soak them overnight in water, then I dump the water out, keeping the beans in the container and then turning the container upside down on a paper towel. I'll then rinse the beans twice a day and then turn the container back over each time until they start to sprout.

[SPierce]

Beans are a hard one to get going! I tried to pre-sprout mine in a plastic baggy, and nada. Then I tried to put them in one of my start pots, and nada. I finally got them to sprout when I put them in their future-home container when it was really warm out! Beans are really picky, just like peppers.

Hang in there, one will be determined and sprout! I also notice they take longer than others to get going.