Germination Rates

I’ve been saving my own Blue Lake pole bean seed for years.  Of the 20 or so poles in my bean bed I save the plants on one corner pole for seed.  As long as the beans produced are long and straight, I leave the plants on that pole alone to mature and fully ripen.

Over the years I’ve had complaints from a few fellow gardeners, that commercially sold Blue Lake seed produces stringy beans.  As in old fashioned ‘String’ beans.  That’s not what mine are like.  And I’ve managed to supply some friends with my ‘Selected’ Stringless Blue Lake seed.  It appears some commercial seed growers haven’t been as studious in keeping bad pollen out of their Blue Lake plantings.  Or maybe they wanted to promote their ‘new and improved’ varieties and tarnish the Blue Lake reputation.

 

Blue Lakes have been the standard for taste and tenderness for over half a century, probably much longer.  Even to the point where several bush bean varieties were marketed as Bush Blue Lake.  I still believe bush beans just don’t have the full flavour of pole beans.  And I’m tempted to believe that productivity – lbs. per square foot – is greater for poles.

Recently I’ve had a problem with my germination rates for my beans.  Last year’s planting was almost disastrous.  It was my 2017 seed since I didn’t produce any during 2018 – my sabbath rest -- where I take a year off vegetable growing every seventh year.  The temperatures were good but they just didn’t come up very well.  I reseeded the missing spots.  Twice.  And that spread out my harvest over a longer period which gave an advantage to a brand new pest which I’ll write about in the future.  With all the mayhem, I didn’t save any of last year’s seed.

But I still have my 2015 seed. And this year it germinated well!  (89%)  You’d think five year old seed wouldn’t last but I have a bit of a special method for storing my seeds – once again another future posting.

Hopefully I’ll have a good crop this year, without the nasty new bugs and we’ll be able to retire my 2015 seed, but only after my new seed has proven good germination.

My purchased sweet corn has had a problem with germination as well.  My last two years, my favourite, Golden Jubilee (yes I’m an old fart) has been a disaster for germination.  The first time, 2017, I blamed West Coast Seeds.

The other block of Peaches and Cream Corn from Pacific Northwest Seeds came up great.

For 2019 I bought new Jubilee seed from PNW (more seed and cheaper than West Coast) and got the same dead response.  I was lucky to get five plants out of 27 seeds planted.  Maybe the same grower had supplied both seed companies?  I had good warm conditions and used my usual black plastic bed cover.

This year I tried again with brand new Jubilee seed from PNW – much greater success!  Due to lack of faith I’d placed three seeds in each planting spot rather than the usual two.  With limited back yard space one needs a plant in every spot.  Every single one came up. (100%)

 

Seed germination is a real concern.  Steve Solomon, who started Territorial Seeds in Oregon back in the 1970’s, said many seed companies of the day would give the budget seed rack suppliers the “sweepings off the floor”. 

Solomon recommended to buy from a supplier that supplies the farming community as well as gardeners.  These are the seed companies that sell larger quantities as well as small packets for farmers to test out in their conditions and markets.  These are companies that also list the tested germination rates right on the seed packet. 

They might cost more but when I can store my seed safely and under the right storage conditions for several years, then it’s worth it.  With poor germination you have nothing.

Happy Gardening.