Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Germinate Bean Seeds
How to Germinate Bean Seeds. Beans sprout quickly and require little care, making them a good choice for beginning gardeners, including children. They thrive when planted in the ground, in raised beds and in containers. You may even grow them in upside-down planters as part of your hanging garden. Ensuring that your beans have germinated before...
Beans sprout quickly and require little care, making them a good choice for beginning gardeners, including children. They thrive when planted in the ground, in raised beds and in containers. You may even grow them in upside-down planters as part of your hanging garden.
Ensuring that your beans have germinated before planting them in their permanent location for the growing season provides a head start for the beans and a gardening lesson for children.
Things You'll Need
Cookie sheet
Newspapers
Paper towels
Bean seeds
Plastic wrap
Clean and dry a cookie sheet. Pour enough room temperature water into the sheet to just cover the bottom. Lay a folded newspaper page into the water. Let the water soak into the page and then press a second page down on top of that. The water should soak through this page also, though not as much.
Place two or three layers of paper towels on top of the newspaper. Press the paper towels down on the newspaper so they soak up some of the water, too. The top layer of newspaper should be very moist but not soggy.
Sprinkle bean seeds on top of the paper towel in a single layer. Make sure there's at least 1/4 inch between each of the seeds. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap. The wrap should be taut, but with gaps along the edges.
Place the tray in a warm, sunny place. Keep the temperature around the tray about 70 degrees with your thermostat and the help of the sun. The beans should sprout in about a week.
Tips & Warnings
If working with dried beans, soak them in room temperature water for 24 hours before germination. This "wakes" the beans and ensures they are viable for planting.
