Topic: Overwintering broad beans vs early sowings

[davee52uk]

Last year I put some broad beans in to overwinter. I sowed some in the greenhouse in Feb and planted these out in March

Results: Overwintering beans were poor with some plants dying out. They got heavily infested with blackfly which I got rid off by spraying off. The early sown are great cropping really well and din't get much in the way of blackfly.

Anybody else tried this sort of thing?

[glosterwomble]

Last year I sowed broad beans inside and planted out in Feb / march... poor result, lots of blackfly and hardly any beans.

This year, sowed end of Oct 07 and overwintered directly in ground ... hardly any blackfly, fantastic early crop of masses of beans.

Total opposite of your results by the look of it.

[Kea]

I'm with Glosterwomble and they got chocolate spot later when they were nearly finished. Could depend where you live and soil type etc

[Trevor_D]

I tried an experiment for Gardening Which many years ago: sowed one batch in late autumn, most outside, but some in pots in an unheated lean-to mini-GH; sowed 2nd batch early spring, again mainly outside, but some in pots in mini-GH. Result: most autumn-sown outdoor plants either died or were sickly; and the first meal was picked equally from all four batches!!

So I've never bothered since, until the year before last when I happened to have a bit of spare ground that needed something growing on it over winter. So I tried autumn-sown broad beans again. Brilliant success! Every plant survived and I had the first picking at the very beginning of May. We picked pounds & pounds and they lasted us until well after the spring-sown beans. (Spring-sown = sown in modules on February 1st, planted out on March 1st o.n.o.)

So last autumn I repeated the experiment. Same brilliant results! Autumn-sown now gone and replaced with leeks & brassicas; spring-sown still going great guns. (OH threatening divorce if we have to eat them again!)

OK, I'm in the deep south, but our site is windy; the last two winters have been fairly mild & dry, but my plot is a frost-pocket. Global warming? But autumn-sown broad beans are a fixture for me now. (Aquadulce; the spring-sown is HDRA's crimson-flowered variety.)

[asbean]

The year I tried over-wintering broadies we had heavy snow and high winds in February, when the plants were beginning to grow. It really knocked them for 6, and I haven't done it that way since.

Last year I put some seed in the ground early, and they took AGES to come through,so I sowed some more later ones and they were all ready at the same time.

Now I grow them in root trainers, alll together early in the year.

[KathrynH]

For the last few years I have sown Aquadulce in the greenouuse in October and planted out in November. Each time I have had a fantastic early crop which is just about coming to an end by the time the blackfly have noticed them. The only time I did a spring sowing gave me much smaller plants, fewer beans and a serious blackfly infestation so I haven't bothered with them again.

[Hot House]

Last year I had some (no idea what sort) out late so stuck them in the GH and we had our first BB before would normally sow them.

we be growing more this winter in the GH (not heated)

[Sally A]

My overwintering ones cropped earlier than the ones I planted at the end of Jan.  In fact as soon as the overwintered ones were done, the Jan planted ones came into their own - almost like I planned it ;)

Re blackfly - I clipped my dead hydrangea flowers in early spring and noticed there were hundreds of ladybirds overwintering in them, so I kept the deadheads and put them in an upturned basket (to stop them blowing away) and placed this near the beans - result, loads of ladybird larvae sorting out the aphids.

[thifasmom]

My overwintering ones cropped earlier than the ones I planted at the end of Jan.  In fact as soon as the overwintered ones were done, the Jan planted ones came into their own - almost like I planned it ;)

Re blackfly - I clipped my dead hydrangea flowers in early spring and noticed there were hundreds of ladybirds overwintering in them, so I kept the deadheads and put them in an upturned basket (to stop them blowing away) and placed this near the beans - result, loads of ladybird larvae sorting out the aphids.

when did you sow your overwintered beans.
I'll check the hydrangea bush next spring. I'm also planning to erect a homemade insect box next to my infested runnerbean plants which are also covered in ladybirds, to encourage them to stay in the vege patch.

[Sally A]

I think I sowed them October (Aqua Dulce), the biggest enemy they had were winter gales, as they'd reached about 2ft+ in January.  I rigged up some poly-sheeting around them which helped greatly, so definitely recommend protection.

If it's viable, could well be worth taking hydrangea cuttings to plant in the veg plot; more of a natural ladybird house.

(How did this get in Under Glass?)

[thifasmom]

I think I sowed them October (Aqua Dulce), the biggest enemy they had were winter gales, as they'd reached about 2ft+ in January.  I rigged up some poly-sheeting around them which helped greatly, so definitely recommend protection.

i normally stake mind for the same reason.

(How did this get in Under Glass?)

how did what get in under glass?

If it's viable, could well be worth taking hydrangea cuttings to plant in the veg plot; more of a natural ladybird house.

this is a good idea i will take some cuttings today.

[Sally A]

(How did this get in Under Glass?)

how did what get in under glass?

This topic?  Broad beans are normally sown outside.  OK granted a few people start them off under glass, but normally just to infill plants that fail to germinate outside, or those that get mucnhed by slugs >:(

[shirlton]

We grew aquadulce for 2  years and havent been dissapointed, however we do put stakes and strings up for them. If you weave the string in and out of them like a zig zag then they stand up quite well. We always sow them straight into the ground in October

[Tulipa]

I made two sowings of Aquadulce, both of which dissappeared (mice?) :( So then sowed Exhibition Longpod as it was too late for the Aquadulce, I have had an amazing crop from them and still picking so will grow them again next year. :)

T.

[Sally A]

Is that the Bunyard's Exhibition ones?

[Sparkly]

There was an article in 'grow your own' magazine about this. They concluded it wasn't worth it. I have never overwintered beans, but I am planning to do it this year. If they don't do well I will just dig them in like green manure.

[Tulipa]

They were Suttons Giant Exhibition Longpod

http://www.suttons.co.uk/pd_194090_Broad_Bean_Giant_Exhibition_Longpod.htm

I remembered seeing a posting on here about them so gave them a try.  Really glad I did, definitely more beans in each pod. :)

T.

[Sally A]

They were Suttons Giant Exhibition Longpod

So was that more of a Feb sowing outdoors?  Woth knowing incase the Aqua Dulce's get flattened/munched etc this winter.

Thanks :)

[Tulipa]

That's exactly why I ended up sowing them!  I had just 2 plants left from Aqualulce sowings and found Longpod much better.  I could try both this/next year and see which is best, or they may follow each other in which case I will get a nice long season?

T.

[thifasmom]

(How did this get in Under Glass?)

how did what get in under glass?

This topic?  Broad beans are normally sown outside.  OK granted a few people start them off under glass, but normally just to infill plants that fail to germinate outside, or those that get mucnhed by slugs >:(

who knows how it got under glass, but hey these things happen. :)