broad beans in flower

[aquilegia]

My broad beans are in flower. Seems very early, or am I just not remembering right?

How long before I can eat them?

[aquilegia]

[artichoke]

I've got big fat flower buds on my overwintered ones (maybe open now since I last looked yesterday morning). I know people say spring sown broad beans catch up with the autumn ones, but I have never found that. How can you beat bean flowers in early April?

Sorry, can't remember how long they take to become pods.

[aquilegia]

I've never found that spring sown catch up. In fact I always find they just get covered in blackfly and keel over. Mine that are flowering were sown late November (about a week before it snowed!) And I've got more sown in January that aren't flowering yet. So hopefully we'll have more for longer!

It's very exciting - I love broad beans and I can't wait! :D

[antipodes]

OH God, I threw some in the ground a few weeks ago and I only just noticed them yesterday! They are about 3 inches high! Oh well, guess I won't have broad beans for a while yet (Said 90 days on the packet, they were the last few and I didn't have the heart to chuck 'em out.)

[1066]

aquilegia my early sowings of Aquadulce are flowering as well. I'm sure its way to early for them to flower and they are still relatively small plants maybe 12 to 15" high. They were sown in pots in Winter and kept in the garden and then planted out in Feb (they were a bit pot bound - I'm wondering if this has anything to do with it?!) - It seems VERY early to me

[rugbypost]

Mine have been in flower for just over a week not sure why the weather in wales has not been mild at all. They are about 2 foot tall, and are suttons will just have to wait and see ???

[Alimo]

Crikey - mine are only 3 inches high !!  Mind you they were only sown early March. 

I've never had any success with autumn sown... maybe I'll try again this year.  If yours are already flowering you'll have yummy early beans  ;D

Alison

[Digeroo]

GWE! Need that green with envy emoticon.  

[1066]

Diggers I'd hold back on the green envy emoticon - that is until I actually get some BB's to eat! Not convinced all is well  :-\ time will tell....

[artichoke]

Mine are flowering away like mad now but are also not very tall. This happened another year - started very short, flowered, took on some height and did well. They are aquadulce.

[Tonythegardener]

My overwintering broad beans are very small but they have flowers on them already.

[1066]

I'd like to hear how every one else gets on, mine are looking decidely miserable. Resorted to watering them yesterday  :-\

[Poolcue]

My Bunyard exhibition's planted in November are about a foot tall and have lovely black and white flowers which the bumble bees seem to love.
Fingers crossed this is the first time that I have grown them

[pigeonseed]

Oh my bunyards exhibition, Autumn sown, are only about 1-2 inches high!!! (though they do have first flowers). Are they huddling low because of the coastal 'breeze' I wonder?

I thought I looked after mine well - soil improved with compost, fed with some organic fruit and veg fertiliser pellets, weeded and watered when very dry... What more do the little bleeders want???  ::)

[aj]

My overwintered ones [where most of them died] have come back as little stars - flowering like crazy.

Spring sown - might flower in the next few days if I'm lucky.

[non-stick]

I envy anyone with flowers - for the second year running I've lost my autumn sown ones and the spring ones I sowed in the greenhouse keeled over in the heat. I've resorted to a late sowing in the hope of even a small crop as I love them

I will still persist with an autumn sown crop - you never know a "mild" winter and they'll make it through

[aquilegia]

my autumn ones are over a foot tall now and flowering well. The bottom flowers are starting to set pods! The later ones (January) are not yet flowering.

But they are looking good. I mulched them a few weeks or a month ago (lost track of time).

[GodfreyRob]

I would suspect the lack of rain and the warm weather of the last couple of weeks is encouraging flowering - the first 6ins of my soil is bone dry. 

[Mortality]

Mine are in flower too, but very nibbled  ::)

[1066]

I would suspect the lack of rain and the warm weather of the last couple of weeks is encouraging flowering - the first 6ins of my soil is bone dry. 

Yes, I have wondered if that is the main reason.