Broad beans - when will my soil be free?

[Gemmalaveen]

I am planning to plant some overwintering broad beans the first week in October (live in London). I have quite limited space so will need to follow this crops with beetroot/carrots/parsnips next Spring/early Summer.

Will the broad beans be finished producing pods by the end of June?

Thanks!

[Two_Sheds]

Should be. You can always rip them up any time you like, of course.

[BeatTheSeasons]

Last year we sowed our Aguadulce on 10th October and they were nearly all ready to eat by 1st June.

And I think this spring was colder than average too, so hopefully next year you could harvest yours even earlier.

[Gemmalaveen]

That's very helpful - thanks very much. I don't want to dig them up until I am sure they have finished producing pods.

[BeatTheSeasons]

My experience with broad beans is that, unlike runner beans, you leave the pods on until they start to swell a bit. And at that point you have all the beans you will ever get off the plants. Whereas with runner beans or french beans you take them off the plant before the seed has developed inside the pod. And so the plant keeps producing more and more beans.

You don't really want to be producing new pods during the summer anyway because the blackfly will get them.