Broad beans

[Leeds Lad]

I've just been up to Leeds to see the family before Christmas and my father-in-law presented me with some special broad bean seeds that he'd grown, he tells me that I should get eight beans out of each pod. Is this good? As a beginner I take every thing people tell me as truth, any comments?

[Leeds Lad]

[supersprout]

Aww LL, family treasure! :D
If he says there'll be eight beans to a pod and he's your father in law, he probably ain't fibbing ;)
Quite a few longpod varieties will grow erm, long pods with lots of beans, most of them are tall stately plants so you might need to be ready with a few stakes in the corners and lengths of string.
What a lovely pressie.
Good luck, when they come up notice whether the beans are white or green and post some pics, bet someone will be able to ID the variety 8)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Anyone tried the red-flowered ones? POD have them, and I'm tempted.

[saddad]

I tried the Heritage Seed Library Crimson Flowered a couple of times without success so I've ordered some of these too!
;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Robinson & Sons have them as well.

[supersprout]

I did try some red bbeans given as a swop Robert, Red Epicure. The flowers were fabulous and the beans were fine, but not as intense and sweet a flavour as the Windsor and Sutton IMO. Worth it for the flowers though?

[saddad]

Red Epicure are our favourite... red beans but white flowers from Unwins!
;D

[supersprout]

ooer dad, mine definitely had gorgeous red flowers on - :o golly I wonder what it was I grew then ??? and where are those Red Epicure swops (grubs in seed bag) :P

[Curryandchips]

Just done a bit of searching with the well worn Google, to discover that Broad beans cross very easily, so you could well have something which is not what it says on the packet ... (assuming there was a packet), but if given as a swap, they may have been collected seed  :D