Broad Beans

Could anyone please tell me when to plant broad beans for over wintering?

E.W.

 

ewal, if your winters are not too cold or wet you can sow early Longpod varieties in late Autumn.
If you're lucky they will mature before the Spring invasion of blackfly that will surely get Spring grown varieties.
For early crops if your Winter is bad sow Longpod under glass in Spring and be one step ahead.
(PM for a tip on seed harvest)

 

You will gain about 2 weeks by planting in mid autumn mind with 'climate change' anything may happen. I shove mine in early spring 20cm apart [8"] not a lot of difference. No fertilizer just old farmyard [muck]or home grown compost, and I nearly always have a good crop. Many years ago I bought a big bag of what looked like growmore from a farming supplier, big mistake, it was for grass and I had the tallest veg in the uk I did have a few flowers at the top and some beans the leeks were something else.

 

Thank you Paladin & Hans for your prompt replies.
I think it was in the late 60s I last set broad beans to over winter, it was mild & wet & by the spring they were 6in tall, then we had a late frost which chopped them off.
This time I shall cover them with a polythene covered frame when frost threatens.
E.W.

 

Hi Ewal, When you can't see the other person one can quite wrongly imagine them to be standing there with a brand new spade and a gardening book and verrrry young not having done any gardening at all. go to see us older folk seeking a bit of advice now and again. Hope you have a good crop.

 

Hello Hans, the memory does tend to go a bit as we get older.
I found this discussion group by accident while looking for the BBC gardening program. Last Thursday I picked 1lb 9oz of runner beans & my wife suggested I send a photo to the BBC, but I was unable to find it but instead I found this site which I find very interesting.
E.W.

 

Welcome to GC, ewal. Great to have you on board!

 

Much better on this site ewal - just keep logging in and you'll see why!

 

Thanks for all the kind comments.I set the beans last Thursday.My land is clay, in fact there is a brick yard only 2 fields away & they've just bought the field next to me.The beans should be OK as there is slope of 1 in 10 where I've set them, so good drainage.

E.W.

 

Hope you get a better crop than I did this year - enough for one serving from fifteen plants!!!

 

can anyone help me. i have potted my broad beans and they have started to grow what do i do now they are about 7inchs tall.

 

hmm
i planted some b/beans early october . as recommended on the packet......theyre now flowering, although only 12" tall, so i ve been using tops as veg and i expect rest will end up in the soup pot ,,,,,, along with carrot sown August....... now 2" long and rather ,, well small
i think they were sutton
i ve now sown broad bean acalduce [something like that] and also field beans for green manuring