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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: sawfish on September 25, 2008, 15:30:34

Title: sprouting broad beans
Post by: sawfish on September 25, 2008, 15:30:34
About a month ago I left some martock beans (old broad bean variety) in a plastic bag and forgot about them, the other day I opened the bag and loads of the beans had started sprouting out of the pods. So yesterday I planted them up in pots and left them in my shed windowsill. Now I'm going to watch to see what happens.

Do you think they'll perhaps grow and overwinter?
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: saddad on September 25, 2008, 16:36:42
As an old variety I'd give them more chance than others... remember there was alittle Ice Age in the Tudor/Stuart period...  :-\
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: Kea on September 25, 2008, 17:28:34
Better than throwing them away.
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: Tee Gee on September 25, 2008, 17:30:34
You could always cloche them as an insurance.
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: Sally A on September 25, 2008, 20:27:09
Wow, an old bean from Martock in Somerset.

What do they taste like?

If you're seed saving in the future would love to arrange a swap, just to bring some back to their homeland :)
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: sawfish on September 26, 2008, 00:53:29
Absolutely sally a, although mammoth onion and pennard plants both sell them.

They taste fabulous, and I'm not just saying that cause they're odd. Much smaller pods but much more of them per plant, lovely small beans.
Title: Re: sprouting broad beans
Post by: Amazin on September 27, 2008, 22:58:17
Thanks for the recommendation, Sawfish. I looked them up and they seem very highly rated. Think I'll give them a go.

I'm a relative novice with beans - I can grow them with no problems but by harvest time I just can't seem to get my head around what to do with which ones. It doesn't help that something seems to enjoy digging up and running off with the plant labels.