Talkback: Sowing broad beans - Talkback

01/01/2007 at 00:00

22/02/2008 at 18:23

i have sown some broad beans this week, this will be my first ever try. i have never tasted them before and i'm wondering what all the fuss is about. can anybody tell me what they taste like?

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24/02/2008 at 10:11

hello,it's my firstseason, last year I helped an elderly as he was to old/sick to do it on his own, he has broad beans, he topped the flowers at a certain point to stopblack fly, it seems allour plotters do.

I'm going for the mix grow,putting corn and sunflowers next to them, should help each of the other plants...I can't wait, still digging trenches and beds though :-(

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26/02/2008 at 05:38

the taste is wonderful. when young you can eat them raw, when "ripe" blanche them, remove the skin, don't use salt cos like with lentils it makes the skin go tough.

try a sandwich with salami, broad beans, garlic oil, salt peper, chives on a ciabatta. classic italian anitpasto on a sandwich...great! when cooked add a spice we in holland call beanspice.. don't know the name in English, sorry but the Latin name is Satureja hortensis

Gardeners' World Web User

28/02/2008 at 17:15

Has anybody tried spraying black fly infestations with high concentrate of crushed garlic & water? Did it work?

I have germinated Aquadulce Claudia in early December and Bunyards Exhibition this month, by first soaking them in water indoors for a couple of days (changing the h2o daily) until root tips appear then growing them on outdoors (near the house) 3 beans to a 5 litre pot as like greeny my plotter partner and I are still prepping beds!

Gardeners' World Web User

28/02/2008 at 21:05

I grow lots of broad beans - they are really easy and lovely taste, you can eat them raw in salads or even small pods whole in a white sauce. I planted some in the autumn of 06 and was eating them last May. Delicious veg!

Gardeners' World Web User

29/02/2008 at 08:53

My beans were sown before Christmas and are around 3-4" tall and survived a hard frost (Bedford). This is my first season, so we'll see.

Gardeners' World Web User

02/03/2008 at 23:13

Broad beans, I love'em. No one else at home does. I've got two plants ready to move into the ground. Is it too early?? If I mess this up, NO bbs for me this year!!! Any assistance welcome.

Gardeners' World Web User

04/03/2008 at 14:48

I've only grown maincrop potatoes before. This year I'm going to try first earlies, earlies and maincrop in larger potato bags. Do I plant them all at the same time even although they are harvested at different times?

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18/03/2008 at 11:17

My beans are in the ground already and so far have lived through frosts and storms, although i have kept some back in a pot. they seem to be fine, they are the seeds from last year's crop and seem to be hardy enough to put up with all weathers.

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26/03/2008 at 19:30

Last year I sowed a batch of Aquadulce - but had very little to show for it. I blamed it on the weather and my clay soil. This year I am trying two different varieties 'sutton' and 'optica' - have just started them off in individual pots on account of the dreadful weather we've had in Yorkshire and of course my clay patch! Hope I have some beans this year at least!

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23/04/2008 at 15:24

I've grown potatoes and runner beans succesfully for a few years but it always seemed a shame the ground lays unused for the winter,so in october ,07 I found some Suttons broad beans and I'm giving them a go. So far its looking good, some stems are a bit blackened (does this mean much), but there are plenty of flowers (black and white)so I'm looking forward to a crop of some sort. I don't believe I've eaten them before but I imagine they'll be fine in salads/stews etc. Also we are in the south east(kent) area so we had a pretty mild winter which is just as well as I planted them direct into the veg plot. All the best to everyone.

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23/04/2008 at 15:31

Oh by the way, does anyone out there have suggestions for other crops to make use of the winter months?

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25/08/2008 at 20:02

I tried Broad bean this year and sowed the first row in November. The crop was medicocre and I noticed that not all the flowers produced a bean pod. The only witness was the flower stork without any pods. Is there any method I can increase the crop by artificial pollination? Or how can I increase natural pollination? Any ideas?

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10/09/2008 at 13:11

i have some broad beans that are flowering but no pods forming is it too late in the year maybe for them? Also i maybe planted them too close would this affect pod formation they are growing in miracle grow compost!

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06/10/2008 at 16:49

I grew broad bean 'The Sutton' last spring but they were infested with blackfly. Thought I would try to growing Aquadulce Claudia this November to get round the problem. I prefer to start stuff off in pots and transplant to avoid mice getting at them. Is it okay to do this with autumn broad beans?

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19/02/2009 at 20:16

we are having trouble with mice eating our broad beans that we grew in tubes in the greenhouse first and planted out last month giving them some fleece for protection.We will try again soaking in parrafin before sowing,any other tips? By the way does anyone have any back copies of the garden news magazine with the Veg with Reg section?Reg was my dad and how I wish I had kept his write ups that i know gave lots of tips

Gardeners' World Web User

23/02/2009 at 17:28

Last year was a terrible one for blackfly - believe me I know! I too had to write off several plants as they were so infested I thought it best to clear them out and hope the other, stronger plants made good. They did - but not as good as they have been in previous years. I have heard of soaking the beans in parrafin but have never tried it - must remember next time!

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14/03/2009 at 21:07

What is the correct way to set a broad bean.I know it will prodably grow anyway but there must be a way which gives the bean a better start. I set them verically with the smooth curve to the top(after soaking overnight).

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07/04/2009 at 10:49

Have broad beans growing in pollytunnel approx 2'6" high masses bloom but no sign of any pods forming. Would be grateful for advice. Many thanks