For Flighty - and any other Broad Bean lovers

[Georgie]

Here's a close up of Broad Bean Witkiem Manita you were kind enough to send me.



And here's another of the red flowered heritage variety I'm also trying this year.



It was great to see the bees buzzing around them today.   :)

G x

[Georgie]

[1066]

Georgie The red heritage variety looks lovely. Oh well something else to try next year  ;)

[Flighty]

Looking good Georgie! Let's hope that the beans taste just as good.  xx

I'm told that red flowered ones are hardly affected by blackfly. If so I wonder why there seem to be few 'red' varieties readily available.

[Georgie]

Thanks 1066.  They are a lovely deep purple and I fell in love with them when I saw them growing at a horticultural show earlier this year.

Yes Flighty, I'm hoping to beat the grand total of two beans I got last year! 

I didn't know that red varieties are hard to find (nor do I know if they are blackfly resistant).  But if you want some I got them from 'Growing Old'.  Their email is Sales@pennardplants.com and the name is 'Broad Bean Crimson Flour'd'.

G x

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've grown red flowered, but with the weather the last couple of years, I didn't get a crop and I'm giving them a miss this year. They are fairly resistant to blackfly, though I'm not sure that has anything to do with flower colour. There are two red flowered varieties out there.

I'm thinking about trying a plant breeding project next year, and since I don't have the space available for the one I'd really like to try (an open pollinated supersweet corn) then broad beans are a possibility.

[Digeroo]

Pennards do not seem to have Crimson Flowered BB on their website.  Perhaps they are sold out.  I got mine from Robinsons but they produce a very poor percentage red.  Quite a lot are pink, grey or black.  I sent a packet back and got a replacement when only 25 per cent red.  This packet a bit better at 50%.  Though the seeds I saved from the original plants have come up with a much better % red and are  much stronger plants. 

[Digeroo]

I have just done a google and there is a company called seeds of distinction who are listing crimson flowered BB. 
http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/acatalog/A-Z_of_Vegetables_BROAD_BEAN.html

[Flighty]

Georgie thanks for that!  xx

Digeroo they do...http://www.pennardplants.com/products.php?cat=211

[Georgie]

What I liked most about the bloke who sold them to me was he said to make sure I saved my own seed for next year.  How's that for a true plantsman?

G x