Broad beans

[HeyWayne]

Am I too late to plant my broad beans? I have Aquadulce Claudia and the ones from HSL - Martock.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Am I too late to plant my broad beans? I have Aquadulce Claudia and the ones from HSL - Martock.

You'll be fine, HW - Hessayon Veg Expert reckons that March and April are the main sowing months, and although Aquadulce is bill as a hardy one that you can sow in autumn, it's not compulsary!

[rustylady]

Broad beans can be sown from now until June.

[Farmer_Gyles]

ive got vectra from johnsons - packet says sow feb-may

[pigletwillie]

My Witkem Vroma will be sown mid March with a handfull being sown in May for a later crop. All will be started off in pots.

[Flummery]

I've sown the sutton in autumn, nice little plants now - but my main sowing (of same) will be next month. Bang 'em in lad!

[lottielady]

I didn't plant until nearly the end of March last year (my first year on the plot), I grew the Sutton and they did really well, so you are not too late at all.

[JennieAtkinson]

Mine don't get sown until mid April and only go into the tunnel at the end of May. I am still harvesting broad beans in late summer!

[Mrs Dobby]

We've got the first sowing in, after planting in the greenhouse they've just been transplanted out, but the main sowings will be next month and in April, that way we should get some nice successional crops! We're growing Aquadulce and Sutton!

[TonyF]

I put some in in December and have started the succession seeding just this week. Another lot in March and another in April - HeyWayne, time to go for it I think.

[Two_Sheds]

I sowed some Super Aquedulce in the autumn, they are now calf-height (leg, not cow) and starting to flower
I have sowed all my others (Witkiem, Sutton, Red Epicure) in pots in the greenhouse, for planting out late March.
I have found that older plants are tougher and succumb much less to blackfly. The drawback is getting them through the winter.

[moggssue]

We've got the first sowing in, after planting in the greenhouse they've just been transplanted out,

Isnt it too cold to plant baby broadies out yet? I have some indoors in pots and thought I should wait another few weeks before putting them out?

[Cutecumber]

They are pretty tough - if they are the right type, that is.

They still need hardening off, mind you, and don't plant when it's sub-zero!

[sewer rat]

I am growing a variety called Witkiem Manita which was quite outstanding for me last year - so much so that this year I am growing 3 times more of them. I will just plant the seed into prepared ground - last year I didn't direct sow them until April 14th, but they'll go in a couple of weeks earlier this year.
Before you get flustered about dates, I'm in the Highlands and things are done usually two weeks to a month later up here than down south