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As the title says... my spring sown broad beans are only about 6 inches tall and have started to flower already! Is this normal? I've only grown them through winter before so don't know what to expect from a spring sowing, but I certainly wasn't expecting this  ???

Me too - mine are a bit bigger than 6 inches, but still much smaller than I expected, for them to be flowering. Even the ones that I haven't put out yet, I hope they can still tolerate being planted out, being in flower!

Blimey. I only planted mine today! I'm so behind everybody else!  ::)

Must be the warmer than usual weather doing it then... mine have been watered every couple of days (had no rain here for about a month now!)... looks like we can expect about 5 pods per plant the way they're going  ::)

Noticed the first flowers on mine a couple of days ago.  It is a dwarf variety 'The Sutton', germinated mid Feb, brought on in modules in the coldframe and and planted out on 22 March.  They're still quite small but I'm expecting them to grow more, increase in height and produce further flowers and - hopefully - lots of beans.  First time growing them, though I've had my two plots for 5 years.  Wife and daughter don't like them - but I thought I'd grow a few for myself.

Quote from: cordyline on May 03, 2009, 20:42:39
Noticed the first flowers on mine a couple of days ago.  It is a dwarf variety 'The Sutton', germinated mid Feb, brought on in modules in the coldframe and and planted out on 22 March.  They're still quite small but I'm expecting them to grow more, increase in height and produce further flowers and - hopefully - lots of beans.  First time growing them, though I've had my two plots for 5 years.  Wife and daughter don't like them - but I thought I'd grow a few for myself.

Ooh... I grew them a good few years ago now when I had a garden plot..... lovely if you like baby broad beans and will crop impresisvely if you keep taking the pods..... couldn't get it to make "big" beans without it grinding to a halt productivity wise.... still I love baby BB's.... it was my father who wanted the big floury ones ....

chrisc

Thats both interesting and good news, cos I'm trying the Sutton this year aswell and mine have been flowering for a while.....

I havent planted any bb seeds yet either Dave. I plan to plant them this week though.  ;)

Yup, the dwarf broad beans here are full of flowers too, over a foot tall.

I planted some 'old' climbing runner beans which were given to me to see if they would germinate, got about a 20% germination on them so in view of the weather and a very full green house they have got planted out, bearing in mind that I don't care if they live or die. No not flowering but they are growing well.

Mine are about two or three inches high, but I started late. I might try overwintering them again this year; I'm not sure whether so many died last year because of cold or waterlogging. It's got to the point where I'm thinking about putting in raised beds.

Mine aren't supposed to be a dwarf variety... they're Bunyards Exhibition. Think I'll sow some more as a few people haven't started theirs off yet.

Mine are not only flowering but the bottom 4 or 5 sets have beans!!!  The plants should be around 1.25m tall but so far they are only about 35cm.... well I know theey ar eshort but if they produce a crop what does it matter??????

My broad beans are much shorter than usual, but plastered with flowers, and most plants are setting beans right at the bottom. I definitely have not grown the Sutton, the short bean, because I found them disappointing a few years ago, and normally my beans are a metre or more by now.

They'll produce a crop I'm sure, just a much smaller one than had the plants grown properly before flowering.