I just plant mine. Beans can be a little fussy to start. They need warm, moist soil to germinate. Too wet though and they'll rot. Various pests are very fond of bean seeds. A pest may have also eaten the seeds.

Booberry hit it on the nose on what beans need to germinate. In good warm moist soil they will be fully up within a week. I have the best stand if I plant a day or two after a good rain. Allow the soil to dry only to the point that it can be tilled easily without clumping. Then plant and hope it does'nt rain for a few days. In about three days the beans will start popping up. If it rains within three days after planting the ground compacts and forms a crust making it hard for the beans to break through and many will rot in the ground. If there is no forcast for rain I will soak the area well then till the next day to break up the soil and plant. I get a perfect stand everytime. If when it is time to plant and the forcast is rain and the ground is already wet, I start the plants in pots and transplant. This is also what I do for rare beans that I only have a few seed of. The only seed I have ever soaked and every heard of soaking was Okra until these past couple of post. In my opinion I see no need for it and it would seem there is a greater chance of rot. Rodger

A lot must depend on the type of soil, because I watered mine when I planted them and got excellent germination. I wasn't aware of any cautions concerning water; I just knew they needed warm soil.

I ate my first (raw) Kentucky Wonder of the year today. Yum!