We have used the kitchen towel in a saucer of water method and it works very well. We sowed all of our beans/peas 2 weeks ago, they are in an unheated greenhouse, and most have already germinated. I know it probably is a bit early, and we may need to bring them indoors if there is a severe frost, but we prefer to get an early start and try to get them as large as possible before planting.
When using the saucer method, we wait until there is a shoot about 1cm long from each bean, before planting it. We plant them about 1 inch deep. We also plant about 1 inch deep when sowing seeds directly into compost. I have never planted beans on the surface.
Professional nurseries tend to have heated greenhouses, which is why their plants always look much bigger than most home growers. They also don't need to worry about frost, due to the heating of their greenhouses.
Perhaps if beans are sown on the surface of the compost they won't germinate so readily - I imagine they need to be kept moist but not wet, which is easier to do if you bury them a bit.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Peas seem to be sown on the surface by commercial growers, especially sweet peas, but they have the benefit of misters which means they stay moist on the surface. I've always buried them but lots of seeds do well on the surface if you can keep them moist enough.
Peas seem to be sown on the surface by commercial growers, especially sweet peas, but they have the benefit of misters which means they stay moist on the surface. I've always buried them but lots of seeds do well on the surface if you can keep them moist enough.
This is probably the reason, the large commercial growers can control the conditions better, so sowing on the surface saves time and also compost as the pots don't need to be as deep. Sowing deeply makes it easier to keep the seeds moist, I've found with sowing peas directly that 2 inches is a good depth, shallower than that and they tend to dry out and not germinate. I always poke bean seeds in to a decent depth as well, probably more habit than any real thinking behind that though.
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When using the saucer method, we wait until there is a shoot about 1cm long from each bean, before planting it. We plant them about 1 inch deep. We also plant about 1 inch deep when sowing seeds directly into compost. I have never planted beans on the surface.
Professional nurseries tend to have heated greenhouses, which is why their plants always look much bigger than most home growers. They also don't need to worry about frost, due to the heating of their greenhouses.
This is probably the reason, the large commercial growers can control the conditions better, so sowing on the surface saves time and also compost as the pots don't need to be as deep. Sowing deeply makes it easier to keep the seeds moist, I've found with sowing peas directly that 2 inches is a good depth, shallower than that and they tend to dry out and not germinate. I always poke bean seeds in to a decent depth as well, probably more habit than any real thinking behind that though.