Quote:
Originally Posted by Tormato
If I expected 5 days of rain (3-5 inches), I'd hold off on direct planting, let alone pre-soaking. I never pre-soak beans, just one more thing that can go wrong if there's too much rain.
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Ditto. If heavy rains are in the forecast, it might be best to wait a few days. I lost a good portion of all the beans & soybeans I planted last year, due to drenching rains for several days after planting. Those in the low end of the garden rotted in the ground. Only the cowpeas seemed to be unaffected.
I use a lot of bean transplants here, because I am saving seed, and can't afford to lose time if conditions don't allow direct seeding. If soil/weather are poor on the target date for planting, I plant in pots instead. After planting in individual pots, I soak the beans overnight - pots & all - then pour off excess water in the morning.
Pre-soaking the beans alone has advantages if planting into cool soil, and I know gardeners who swear by it... but I prefer not to. It runs the risk of infecting all seed in the container, should any one seed have a pathogen. If the soil is warm, there is probably no advantage to soaking.