I sowed some broad beans in toilet roll tubes in the house last October i think (dint have diary then) then put them in the cold greenhouse once they had germinated. They soon grew a few inches so i started putting them outside to harden off for a while before i put them in the allotment, unfortunately i didnt get the beds dug over as quickly as i had hoped. I decided to give up on them and try again at the begining of this year when my beds were ready. I couldnt throw out such healthy looking plants so i stuck them in the ground between the greenhouse and our shed.
Looking yesterday i noticed some little buds on them and wondered if the could actually be flower buds and then i also found a flower. Sorry to go on so long, but isnt this too early? ???
Mine have flowers on them too. They are also in a very sorry state as they've been nibbled and battered to bits. But I'm curious to see what happens next.
I've got some more in reserve to plant out so not too concerned.
Flowers are fine. Broad beans are tough as blazes!
Arnt you supposed to nip the flowers off so that the energy goes to the beans rather than the flower?
QuoteArnt you supposed to nip the flowers off so that the energy goes to the beans rather than the flower?
No!!
The beans are in the seed pod resulting from the flower!!
No flower - No seed pod - No beans
If you're going to nip anything off a BB take the tip of the shoot, but not till it gets a lot taller than it will be now! The theory is that you're removing the bit that blackfly go for, but I never bother, and never get major aphid problems either. Mine were planted around the same time as yours, but there's no sign of buds yet. Just let them flower as and when they're ready.
ours are flowering too! i nearly wet myself to see it!
i'm amazed everytime something happens down our lottie! still new to this growing lark!
The flowers are the beans. No flowers no beans. :o :o :o :o :o
I was amazed this week to see mine flowering too as they are only about a foot tall, they flowered much later last year planted at the same time ( NOv 5th to keep with local tradition). BB sem to be pretty indestructible round here!
I was filling the gaps in my rows of over wintered BB (the Sutton) with some I had kept in the cold frame and saw flower buds on the ones that had been out all winter...
;D
Even in Glasgow, some of the overwintered broad beans, that were not dug up by mice, are now flowering. The plants look a little battered from the Winter gales and are only about 30 cm high, but they are still flowering!!
Mine are looking pretty in flower too and loads of them ;D
Thank you all very much for your replies, you have put my mind at ease.
Can anyone tell me if i should hope for lots of bees soon or are the self polinating?? :)
Laura
They need bees. They are around already - just hope that the cold snap does not put them off too much.
I saw a bee pollinating my BB flowers on Sunday, so they are around. also spotted a couple of butterflies and bumbles :)
One of my flowers appears to be turning into a broad bean pod too so the pollinators are out there, they are just having a bit of a rough time of it.
Mine are developing buds at under six inches. I hope they put on some height! I've seen a few queen bumbles around in the last week or so. My own bees are acting as though it was March, and flying for a few hours during the afternoon. By teatime any bees still out are completely lethargic from the cold.