Aquadulce Broad Beans - when to sow

[jonny211]

Hi all,

I guess the title says it all, when should I be looking so sow my Aquadulce broad beans - the packet says October at the earliest but in peoples experience when will they be ready for picking from an October sowing?

Also how likely are they to rot in wet winter soil, or can I start and overwinter them in the greenhouse instead?

Cheers, this is my first crack at broad beans... always thought they tasted of earwax myself.

Jon

[jonny211]

[Robert_Brenchley]

I lost a lot over last winter, but enough survived to give me a good crop. this year I'll be planting them two to a hole. It's easy enough to transplant them while they're small.

[artichoke]

I planted mine too early one year (September in South East) and they were too lush and tall when frosts came, so got damaged, a problem pointed out to me with pleasure by our oldest allotmenteer. Now I sow them in late October so they stay low and tough. They shoot up in the spring (as did the too early ones, but in a more wobbly way).

[Plot69]

The general consensus among all the old chaps on my plots is 3rd week in December. Apparently that's the best time to avoid black fly around these parts so that's what I'll be doing.

[jonny211]

So that's one or maybe two to a hole sometime between late October and late December - LOL.

[Trevor_D]

I sow in modules in the GH in mid-October; plant out end of October.

The last two winters have been fairly mild here in the south-east and I've had brilliant crops.

[Tin Shed]

Probably November, depending on the weather. Seem to remember that it was quite wet last year so I think they might have been sown in early December in the end. 
Got a good crop with very little blackfly.

[Eristic]

I aim to sow mine at about the third week of October direct where they are to grow. The main object of the exercise is to get germination while the soil is still warm and to produce smallish but robust plants that can sit out the worst of the winter weather. Mine usually come into production from late May onwards but this is dependant on the local conditions and timing will vary widely
across the country.

[KathrynH]

I start mine off in pots in October as I've found I've lost a number of seeds to mice when planted direct in the ground. I transplant them out in November in a well fed bed and then leave them alone til spring when I give them a good  feed. They do start to look a bit sorry for themselves during winter, especially after a frost, but they soon perk up in spring. Doing this for the last few years has given me a fantastic harvest in May and the blackfly only start to arrive as I'm picking the last of them.

[grawrc]

Cheers, this is my first crack at broad beans... always thought they tasted of earwax myself.

Jon

Do you eat a lot of earwax, Jon? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :P

[jonny211]

Well I was a child once... I'll never forget the taste!

[Derek]

I planted my beans during October last year...my first attempt at the over winter variety....they really looked a sorry sight in January having been buffeted by the wind and rain so much so that I was tempted to dig 'em in.....thank heavens I didn't when they finally picked up I had an excellent crop from them

I shall certainly be sowing again this year but I will give them a protective wind break this time

[Sally A]

Mine went in early October last year.  The soil is still warm enough for them to germinate, so you can see which gaps to fill in before Xmas.

Wind is the most likely thing to damage them, so surrounding barriers of either perspex to about 2 feet tall or mesh will help greatly.