Can Scarlet Runner Beans be transplanted to garden after being started indoors?

Question

I read where these don’t transplant well. Urgh…This is my first year to try these, I planted some out in the ground a few weeks ago during a warm spell but nothing came up. By this time I realize two mistakes were made—the soil was probably still too cold; and I didn’t realize the seed shells need to be nicked. So I did that this time and only this morning got a half dozen of them settled into a small pot. The pot is small because I assumed once they get to be about the size of flower seedlings they can be transferred to the garden. But am I wrong about this too? Darn Zone 6 is fickle and can take until almost June to really warm up. And even then you can never be certain… ?

Answer 1

You can, but as you mentioned… They don’t transplant well. Just don’t disturb the roots when you do so. Be very gentle. They won’t die, but they will halt growth until they recover. This just means that they won’t get as big, or produce as much.

Another alternative would be to grow these in large containers, without overwatering, and bring them in and out depending on the weather. This way there is no need to transplant, and you can control what weather they see.