Topic: Broad Beans

[Two Choices]

Never grown them before but fancy trying them. I see on the packet that you can sow either now or in early spring. What is best?  and is it better to grow small plants at home first and then plant out? Any help and tips would be much appreciated.

[chriscross1966]

Id always go with start in modules adn plant out at 6-8" as it saves them being dug up by mice after the beans.

If we have a mild winter the overwintering ones will beat even the earliest of the earlys, if we have a normal winter then Express will beat the overwintering ones adn if we have  aharsh winter (like the last two) then the liklihood is you'll lose them.... given the success I had wiht Express last year I'm only using overwintering beans as manure contamination testers now...

chrisc

[grawrc]

What Chris said, except that I always stick in a couple of rows anyway on the basis that they might succeed and if they don't I can dig them in as green manure when the snow melts. (better than leaving an empty bed).

If you're planting now, do start them off in modules. If I sow direct the mice (well hope it is - could be rats!! or even squirrels) get the lot.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I always start them in modules, and plant out when they're two or three inches high. At that size, four will go in a three-inch pot, but don't leave them much longer. Aquadulce Claudia is about the best overwintering variety; it doesn't always work, but it's worth trying. This year I'm trying an accidental AQ x Red Epicure cross to see how hardy they are.

[green lily]

Last year I lost all but 4 of super aquadulce sown out under netting in October. Replacements sown in toilet roll tubes in the poly in Feb. caught up  and planted out end March[I think]. couldn't tell difference by June except 100% success with the spring sown ones. This year I think I'll wait until Feb. and save wasting seed.  ;)

[Monkey Brains]

I sow my Aquadulce in Oct/Nov on a windowsill indoors like ChrisCross says, and plant out when about 6inches high. I'm in the south which may help, but even so, apart from a couple of losses which were easily patched in by 2nd sowings during spring, the rest of the bed survived all the snow & sub zero temperatures of the last couple of winters.

Sowing in Autumn is supposed to beat the blackfly - I'm not sure that's true. But for me the main benefit doing in in Autumn is that it's one less thing I have to do in the busy spring months when all available space is packed & overflowing with pots and seed trays full of everything else.

[chriscross1966]

If you want to beat the blackfly put down ant bait stations, the ones with the poison goo in them and maintain the goo for a month or two.... THe blackfly problem as dfar as I can tell is caused by ants farming them for the most parts, if there are no ants the blackfly problem almost goes away as the normal predators move in and generally keep them under control. Last year I put six bait stations out through the 200 odd plants I had (I love broad beans) and only started to notice blackfly right at the end of the picking season, by which time I'd stopped refilling the bait stations and I'd filled the freezer with broad beans....

[Russell]

Like most I have given up on the autumn sowing outside, but I cut down the spring rush of jobs by chitting my seeds in a bean sprouter and planting direct into the soil with a dibber in February. It is quite a labour saver compared with using modules, once the beans have split in the sprouter and a root has started growing nothing much seems to stop them. There's always some that don't sprout but then they don't get planted.

[Two Choices]

Thanks everybody.  The good news is that by coincidence I have the variety mentioned but the not so good news is that I've planted half of them.  So I will plant them out once they are established.

One more question, could they be kept in the modules over winter in an unheated greenhouse or simply on the patio or is it best to get them n the ground asap?

Thanks again TC

[Monkey Brains]

Once they're a few inches high you do need to get them planted out, as the roots are quite vigorous