I am a bit confused about when to plant broad beans.
I have read somewhere that they should be planted in November, somewhere else in April another place mentioned February!
What do you lot do?
also peas - when do they go in?
Depends on your beans & peas. Some of them are winter-hardy and can be sown now, for an earlier crop, others you have to wait until spring.
Just depends whether you've got the space ready now. Also on taste -but that's a personal thing.
The catalogues and packets will tell you when for each type.
Jeremy
hmmm - taste - explain further! :D
I tend to do both. I plant varieties such as Aqualdulce now or in October and let them over winter. I then plant more in the spring once the soil has warmed up a bit. This gives a long cropping but can take up a fair bit of room.
I have no choice as broad beans are my wife's fav vegetable and I can never seem to grow enough for here.
I do not grow peas so cant help there.
Jerry
Simnply that different varieties taste differently.
Like Jerry I grew Aquadulce broad beans last year and will again this year, I might try another variety in the spring, I think there's a red one?
Same with peas -although I don't seem to do as well with those.
Jeremy
I used to plant broad beans in the autumn in pots under glass and after they were up and hardened off I planted them out. Nothing to do with taste, it just stops the blackfly infesting the tender new shoots in the spring.
Rumour has it spring grown broadies have a more delicate sweet flavour. I don't know, as the darn Jays got to my spring ones before me, but my autumn ones were wonderful and plentiful! I am a bit late this year (blame the kids!) and sowed some direct about 4 weeks ago, but only 2 germinated (blame the big fat mouse that lives in my compost heap) so yesterday planted the rest of the seed in compost filled loo rolls, in my conservatory to try and get out as soon as poss! :-\
Peas, I did try to do an autumn sowing last year, but not a sausage, or even a pea for that matter appeared. Even very early spring sown ones under cloches in warmed soil didn't bother to grow, so I will again wait until April and sow loads and loads and loads and loads and loads then! Sweet as the moment as the pod went POP! ;D
Broad beans such as Aquadulce can be sown now-or even earlier. The flavour is good but perhaps not as good as other varieties.
Peas?-round seeded varieties can be Autumn sown to give an early crop,the flavour is `adequate` but nothing compared to wrinkle seeded varieties sown in the spring.
Stephan
Broad Bean Reina Blanca is winter hardy and is supposed to be slightly better flavour than Aquadulce, although neither has quite the flavour of the spring sown varieties. Either can be sown now.
Feltham First is probably the hardiest of the peas for autumn sowing, but, as Cleo says, simply cannot compare with the spring varieties for flavour.