I always sow broad beans the last week of October and have found them resilient to whatever the weather throws out and do not appear to suffer from aphids. To prevent germination losses plant deeper as in 3-4 inches deep. This puts them out of range of casual foraging pests and while mice always get the blame, (sometimes justifiably) the real culprits in my locality is the jays. As a precaution I cover the sown area with debris netting if available until new plants emerge and stabilise.
If space is available,
I plant another crop in late February to follow on. The variety I grow is my own saved seeds from Aquadulce parentage.
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