Hey folks,

Just wondering what the general rule is about thinning bean seedlings. I bought a few 6 packs of seedlings to get some quick crops going last month.

The thing is, each cell from the 6 pack has at least 2 plants, and a few have 3. I know Mel says you can space beans pretty closely, but I've also heard they don't grow as well if they're too crowded. Even the nursery says beans can be spaced every 3", but I am wondering if that means for a SINGLE plant?

They all look fine and healthy and have been in the ground a few weeks, but they're not really growing UP. Right after I planted, we started getting much colder bay area weather, so it very well could just be the weather. But if they are overcrowded and need thinning, I'd like to do it before our next batch of warm weather later this week. (The sun just came out today. Yay!)

If the spacing of 3" refers specifically to 1 single plant, I suppose I could always snip these down to 1 plant per spot, then direct seed in between the 2 remaning plants (since they're spaced about 6"-8" apart). But I hate to waste the seedlings I have unless it's absolutely necessary to avoid the overcrowding problem.

And in case it matters, the pole beans are going on a trellis along the back of my bed, in a single row (i.e. not using both sides of the trellis net.)

The bush beans are also spaced about every 6" taking up a couple squares.

Any insight or help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

-k