Problems with dwarf beans

I'm having problems ths year with dwarf beans. I sowed 30 'Speedy' beans in individual 3" pots (haven't grown Speedy before). All my seeds are raised in a very large, heated garden room that has plenty of light. Of the 30 only 9 germinated. I realised that I hadn't soaked the beans first so I sowed another 15 or so after soaking first. Of the first 9 plants, I have only 1 left !! All the others, at different stages of growth, have died - some after the first couple of leaves appeared and a couple at around 4 inches tall with lots of leaf. Of the second batch of seeds, I have about 7 seedlings which mostly are OK - so far. I've not had problems with any of my other veg seeds. What is going on ? I've grown dwarf beans for years and apart from the odd germination problem, I've never had them die off like this.

Are they damping off? Too much moisture? Though if you've had success before, you obviously know what you're doing.

Are you using a mix you've used before?

Thanks for the suggestion. Could be damping off - never experienced it before. The only thing I can think of is that OH keeps his carnivorous plants in a large tray filled with water - quite near my seedlings. Maybe that's the problem ?? Are dwarf beans particularly prone to it ? Otherwise I'm very careful not to overwater. I use bought compost for seedlings. Just waiting for warmer weather before planting out the surviving seedlings. I'll plant a few seeds out as well and hope that they take

I suppose the tray of water would increase humidity but you wouldn't think enough to affect the beans. Most puzzling. I can only think either a mosture problem or something in the mix.

I never soak beans and usually get a good germination rate and strong seedlings. This year I lost the lot thanks to dodgy compost (killed off a load of my other plants as well). What compost did you plant them in ?

 Standard compost from The Range - new this year. Most of my veggie seeds planted in the same stuff - everything else is fine and growing well

Daisy Cottage wrote (see)

I'm having problems ths year with dwarf beans. I sowed 30 'Speedy' beans in individual 3" pots (haven't grown Speedy before). All my seeds are raised in a very large, heated garden room that has plenty of light. Of the 30 only 9 germinated. I realised that I hadn't soaked the beans first so I sowed another 15 or so after soaking first. Of the first 9 plants, I have only 1 left !! All the others, at different stages of growth, have died - some after the first couple of leaves appeared and a couple at around 4 inches tall with lots of leaf. Of the second batch of seeds, I have about 7 seedlings which mostly are OK - so far. I've not had problems with any of my other veg seeds. What is going on ? I've grown dwarf beans for years and apart from the odd germination problem, I've never had them die off like this.

I had this problem last year and came to the conclusion that the compost was at fault. The outlets get rid of last years stock when you buy early in the year. Most bags have been stored outside in the snow and rain which is not ideal for seedlings, even beans. I suggest if you have any seeds left that you sow them in a different compost. See how it goes. The bags I bought last February, 2012, smelled of sulphur when the bag was opened. Can't be good, can it?

Zapping it in the microwave works too.

Daisy Cottage,

You are getting some very helpful replies. You will need to post us a picture of the finished article. Let us know how you got on with your problem.