Because I grow beans for dry seed, I use a lot of bean transplants each year. With my short summers, every extra day added to the growing season can be the difference between success & failure - especially for limas. If I am unable to plant on time due to weather (a common occurrence in recent years), I seed transplants instead, and little time is lost. And even if I direct seed on time, I start a few transplants of each variety anyway, as backups... those backups saved my seed crops the last two years.
Transplants are also handy when starting with a small sample (when every seed must count), or when trying to revive old seed.
In areas with warmer, longer seasons, bean transplants would probably be unnecessary - unless it was to avoid seedling loss due to bugs or critters. In my climate, transplants are indispensable.
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