Broad Bean Dilemma!

[selfraising]

On the 4th March I sowed my broad beans. They have germinated and are planted out and are about 8 inches high. Thinking I was being clever, I sowed more broad beans on the 7th of April. The intention was that they could go in once the first lot had been harvested. They have just germinated. My worry is that the second sowing will be ready to go out long before the first lot have been harvested. I have no extra room! Should I keep the second sowing in pots until the first ones are ready or could I plant the second ones out now on the opposite side of the canes to the first sowings, so that they are almost next to each other? Hope this makes sense.
How long do they take from sowing to harvesting?

[blito]

not being mean but my only experience of beans is that they crop when they crop regardless of planting time - ie seeds sown in march cropped the same time as seeds sown in may, although that is with french climbing beans which are slightly different to your broad beans.
From reading posts around here i would say that my experience last year is consistant with what the more experience gardeners have to say - ie, late sowings tend to race on and catch up with early ones.....
possibly a better alternative for multiple harvests would be to use 2 different varieties of bean with different cropping times?

[zazen999]

I'd put them in with the others, on the opposite sides, myself.

[selfraising]

Oh dear, thought I could do a successional sowing with them. They are two different varieties of broad bean, one is red epicure and the other is crimson flowered variety but not sure about their cropping times. Or did you mean two completely diffent types of bean?

[FionaH]

For what its worth the RHS website says you can succesional sow broad beans, note I know nothing about broad beans!!

[craiglockley]

You could always get them into long tubs. I've successfully grown them in containers.

[raisedbed]

Yes I too would put them on the oposite side of the canes.

[Two_Sheds]

For what its worth the RHS website says you can succesional sow broad beans

You can, they take about 3 months from planting to harvesting.

Perhaps this: as your first ones come into flower, sow another lot direct in between the plants?

[selfraising]

Thanks TS, I will give that a go and thankyou to all for your replies