Broad beans

[Paulines7]

I sowed my broad beans in polystyrene boxes filled with soil from last years grow bags.  This was meant to be a temporary measure until I had weeded the plot for their final destination.  However, because I have spent most days in the greenhouse potting on plants or sorting out and sowing my potatoes when it has been dry outside, I haven't had time to weed the area for the broad beans.

They are lined up outside the greenhouse and are now fully hardy.  They look really healthy and most have flower buds which are just opening.  Given that I am going away for a week or so shortly, I will not be able to get the planting area weeded in the near future.  I was wondering whether to keep them in the boxes permanently.  Has anyone on here ever grown theirs in boxes and if so, did you get a reasonable crop? Also, should I feed them with anything and if so what?  They are so close together with almost 50 to a box only 2½ x 1½ ft, so a  feed would be difficult to add at this stage unless it was one that could be added to water.  At the moment they don't look as though they need feeding!

I also have a couple of boxes of garlic which also need planting.  However, the bulbs are swelling and still have room to expand so I may leave those where they are.  Some are about an inch in diameter already.  I feel if I disturb them now they may send up flower shoots rather concentrate on the bulbs.

[Paulines7]

[ancellsfarmer]

Difficult to believe that they will produce in such close proximity. If the weedy area is generally cultivated, I would suggest that you quickly hoe a strip , and plant them out strait away. 50 beans at 6" centres  will only take 13 foot  They should rapidly outgrow any remaining weeds, at least for the week you are away ! Job done in 15minutes.

[Paulines7]

Difficult to believe that they will produce in such close proximity. If the weedy area is generally cultivated, I would suggest that you quickly hoe a strip , and plant them out strait away. 50 beans at 6" centres  will only take 13 foot  They should rapidly outgrow any remaining weeds, at least for the week you are away ! Job done in 15minutes.

Ancellsfarmer, thanks for your reply.  I haven't grown anything on this patch of garden for about 3 years and the chickens were on that plot up to last autumn.  Bindweed and nettles are the biggest problem.  I don't know about job done in 15 minutes!  I estimate it will take me 2 or 3 days at least.  I am disabled and very slow. 

I also have to fix up some sort of watering system for the greenhouse before I go as I can't rely on my son who has health problems, to water all the plants.  I haven't even started packing the caravan yet, have a hospital appointment and need to go supermarket shopping on Monday and hope to be away by Tuesday lunch time at the latest!   

I have 3 boxes of broad beans, but the other two do not have so many plants in them.  I estimate I have a 100 in all.  I will have to wait until I am back from holiday before planting them out now.    It's a pity that they won't produce pods in their boxes.  The plants are flowering really well now though and the bees have been busy visiting them.   

[Vinlander]

It's really a question of how deep the boxes are - if they are the largest fish boxes @ 30cm deep you will get some kind of crop though it won't match a proper bed - these are vigorous plants and they get greedier as they form beans!

Cheers.

[Paulines7]

Vinlander, they are the deep fish boxes. 

Strangely enough the 50 bean plants that are packed together are doing much better than those varieties with a lot more room.  I will have a look at the name tags shortly. 

[RenewableCandy]

I planted my broadbeans very close together and it certainly doesn't seem to have done them any harm: they're huge :)

[Paulines7]

I planted my broadbeans very close together and it certainly doesn't seem to have done them any harm: they're huge :)

There's hope for mine yet then!!

Everything is sorted in the greenhouse now with my son making sure nothing fails with the watering system.  When I get back from the Weymouth area next Wednesday, I will make a start on getting rid of the nettles and bindweed in the garden, so I can plant my beans. 

[galina]

Vinlander, they are the deep fish boxes. 

Strangely enough the 50 bean plants that are packed together are doing much better than those varieties with a lot more room.  I will have a look at the name tags shortly.

My broad bean leaves looked pale and straggly up to a week ago and I could not think of a reason why.  Mother-in-laws (in a more sheltered garden and down the hill from us) were looking so much better - same seed, same process of sowing indoors and transplanting.  But now suddenly they have greened up almost overnight.  They are looking bonny and lush and they are flowering like crazy.  The gales have done a bit of damage, but they are fine.  Perhaps your varieties with a lot more room will similarly pick up with the warmer days.  And good luck with the packed-together ones too. 

[antipodes]

Mine seem fairly close together - in a 2 metre space, I have two rows with about 15 plants in all. Crowding doesn't seem to bother them, in fact I find them incredibly easy, if the soil has been well prepared with plenty of organic matter (they had a good mucking over the winter). They seem to like being mulched, so all the dead weeds have been piled uparound them over the spring time. They are covered in flowers now.
I like this variety, Imperial Green Longpod, they are very prolific and one was a "volunteer" that survived the winter, even didn't mnd being moved to a new spot, and is now giving fruit already!

[Paulines7]

I have been away for 8 days and my son ensured that the auto water sprinkler was working in the greenhouse.  The strawberry sprinkler wasn't working properly and he put the water on manually every day for a couple of hours. 

However, I didn't mention about watering the broad beans to him and he didn't notice them, so when I came back they were very dry and many had keeled over with the main stems being bent.   I gave them a good watering and they have recovered a little but whether they will ever get back to looking as good as they did before I went away, I don't know.  If all else fails I may have to cut them back when I plant them and hope that they produce new shoots. 

I have decided to plant them where they were last year as the proposed new bed is so over run with perennial weeds now and  e a lot of clearing.   

[Robert_Brenchley]

They're pretty tough so they'll probably be fine. This year I've got one bed of transplanted BB's and one of direct sown ones, and the latter are looking better, but it sounds as though you probably needed to start them in pots.

[Debs]

This year is my first attempt at growing broad beans.
I started them off in a length of guttering in a cold greenhouse. They are strong & healthy and look ready to put outside.
What distance should they be planted apart, & do they need sun or part shade?
Advice welcome
Debs

[galina]

This year is my first attempt at growing broad beans.
I started them off in a length of guttering in a cold greenhouse. They are strong & healthy and look ready to put outside.
What distance should they be planted apart, & do they need sun or part shade?
Advice welcome
Debs

Full sun if possible (most veg prefer full sun), part shade is possible.  Spacing about 8 inches or 20cm.

[Debs]

Thanks Galina 

Debs