Broad bean blues..

[shirlthegirl43]

I have a large pot with crimson flowered broad beans growing happily in it. There have been loads of flowers which are all dying off now. However, I can only see one pod developing. Is there anything I should have been doing or can do for the remaining flowers to improve the situation? I need to get some of these to produce so I have seed for next year.

[Hazel at the Hill]

1 don't panic until you are sure that there are no beans - I saw the flowers at the hill all dying with no signs of beans and was very gloomy, but they did come a few days later
2 broad beans have some element of self pollinatiion (thread on here about that a couple of weeks ago) so even if you have non too many bees, you should get some
3 if all is lost, next year plant poached egg (liman-wotsits) round the edge of the planter to attact pollinators, or put the planter by a budlea (sp?) or ceonothus (sp? again!)

[Tam]

I have fifty crimson flowered broad beans coming along quite nicely now, but very few of the first flowers were pollinated. Now, fortunately, we have plenty bees and the plants are producing really well and we will have our first beans in about a week. Have you had plenty of bees at your beans - the perfume seems to attract them ?

[shirlthegirl43]

There have been plenty bees on the raspberries which are not too far from the pot of beans. I will be patient Hazel and hope they appear!

[Two_Sheds]

I'd second what Hazel said ... the flowers die off and it looks like no beans ... and there they are, when you weren't looking

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers TS - they are so pretty I deffo want to grow some again next year. Madmax is hoping to get some to eat too

[COMPOST CORNER]

This thread has given me hope, I have a small number of BB plants, loads of flowers, but so far (flowers nearly all gone) about three pods.