......to put some broad beans in or shall I just go for it and see what happens?Cheers
You wont be too late if you wait until next May, they will catch up too so no need to worry, the main growing time is Spring, they sort of limp along until then waiting for the light and warmth.
Some specifically Winter cultivars, like the Aquadulce, will be fine.. :)
When the soil is so cold andwet, the odds are that the beans will sit there dormant and run the risk of rotting or being eaten by mice!
I would wait unless your soil is very well drained or you can put something over it to help it dry out - not to keep the soil warm (aquadulce is pretty hardy) but to keep off the rain.
Germinate them on the wirdowsill, then put them in a cold frame or something. They'll be fine, and once they start growing you can plant them out. I wouldn't risk them in the open ground now.
I'd echo what Robert said.
I sowed broad beans 3 weeks ago:
they germinated 2 days ago and are now growing.
Looking forward to an early crop next Spring,
or turn them in as green manure.
I have planted some out under cloches and they are doing well so are the ones in the green house. You should still be ok I would have thought if ground is not frozen.
whack in some aquadulce claudia - I got one lot in in November and will do another lot after Xmas - the earlier the better to miss the blackfly. If they look a bit limpy, fleece is the answer.
Quote from: campanula on December 18, 2009, 17:18:02
whack in some aquadulce claudia - I got one lot in in November and will do another lot after Xmas - the earlier the better to miss the blackfly. If they look a bit limpy, fleece is the answer.
That was my reason,to miss the blackfly,I chucked them in a week ago and have got my fingers crossed (not much hope though with this cold snap) so will let you know if owt happens.
Got to agree with some of the comments here, broad beans are pretty strong plants but if you plant a few seeds indoors in a warm greenhouse or a windowsill then they will probably come up just fine. It's really not worth planting them directly outside at the moment though, they may come up but even if they do the growth will be seriously affected by such cold temperatures as we are having at the moment. Sowing indoors now will give you a crop a few weeks before others are getting, it's not a lot but it's usually well worth doing!
Cheers
- Alex
Quote from: Alex Rowe on December 21, 2009, 11:57:16
Sowing indoors now will give you a crop a few weeks before others are getting, it's not a lot but it's usually well worth doing!
Cheers
- Alex
Definitely.... you've got a decent chance of getting them in and out of ground that will be squashes/pumpkins/courgettes/gherkins/cucumbers/sweetcorn (ie late May), so two crops through the same soil both of them "proper" crops (salads don't count in my book cos you have to eat them raw and they don't freeze :D)
chrisc
I agree with ChrisCross