Have you ever heard the expression “beans don’t like their roots disturbed”? Well it’s true, they really don’t.
Healthy French Beans
The photos accompanying this post show some dwarf French beans that were sown directly into soil in our polytunnel. This week I moved a few plants that were crowding the sweetcorn I’d sown them with (part of the Three Sisters companion planting).
French Bean that’s been moved
Within an hour the beans were looking poorly and several days later they still haven’t recovered. Hopefully I won’t lose them completely but it will be interesting to see if and how much the move has set them back.
French Bean that’s been transplanted
It’s not just beans that get upset. All members of the legume family can sulk if moved.
So how do you avoid root disturbance if you want to plant beans and peas as healthy growing plants and not from seed? I’ve found growing the seeds in toilet roll tubes very effective and biodegradable pots work too as both can be ‘planted’ with the seedlings growing inside them.
Sweet peas growing in cardboard tubes
I’ll keep you posted on how my transplants fare over the coming months, watch this space.
Dee Sewell – a horticulturalist and certified trainer who started Greenside Up in 2009 and teaches people how to grow vegetables. Dee specialises in working with community gardens but also offers workshops, allotment visits, consultations, horticultural therapy, afterschools clubs as well as local talks – she tailors her services to meet clients needs. In 2012 Dee launched a Seed Gift Collection containing varieties of vegetable and insect friendly flowers with the aim of getting more people growing. Dee’s blog was a finalist in the 2012 Ireland Blog Awards in the Eco/Green and Lifestyle Categories.
Source: Greenside Up – Warning: Beans Don’t Like Their Roots Disturbed! – Dee Sewell
