QUESTION TIME

GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP

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BAFFLING BEANS

I normally grow 'Ferrari' French beans with no problems, but this year for a change I decided on 'Boston'. I started these off in 9cm pots in the greenhouse with a little bottom heat before transferring to larger pots/ planting direct into the ground. The pots in the greenhouse give me an earlier crop before the ones outside become established. This year, growth was slow and many of the leaves turned yellow, with some turning upside down showing the leaf veins.

Do you think they became too hot, or maybe I used poor compost? Only some of the plants were affected. When I planted my 'Bolotto' seeds in the same way, there was a problem with rotting off down the stems. Again, it only affected some of the plants.

RACHEL SAYS: It sounds like both your bean problems are down to stress and compost choice, with a bit of fungal trouble too. The yellowing and leaf inversion on the 'Boston' beans could be caused by too much heat, especially with bottom heat and a sunny greenhouse. Nutrient-poor or stale compost might also be to blame, especially if watering has been a bit uneven. From the photo, it looks like they were possibly sown straight into multipurpose compost. Seed compost is finer and better suited to seedlings — it holds moisture more evenly and supports gentle root growth — then pot on into multipurpose once the first true leaves appear.