Broad beans

[Chef_uk]

Bl@@@y Mice!!! I'm overun with them this year!!

Thats probably the only good reason to have numerous cats roaming my garden living next to a field like we do.

[allotment grower]

broad beans

To get the best start with broad beans is not to sow direct in the autumn.

Collect toilet roll inner carboard tubes fill with compost sow the seed a quater of the way down from the top lightly water and place on a seed tray in a unheated greenhouse or windowsill

By the time you plant out the roots are down to the bottom of the tube and have a health start.

Transplant complete with tubes in feb / march when the magor frosts have gone and they will overtake all pre-sow autumn plants..

The tubes will rot down over the year with no effect to the plants..

[Two_Sheds]

Everyone who's "lost" them ~ have you had a rummage down in the soil to see if the seed is still there?

You may find:

- it's rotted
- it just hasn't germinated yet
- it's vanished (mice)

[veggiechicken]

Will do when the rain stops! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks TS

[Dynamo]

I'll be starting my broad beans off in the safety of the greenhouse in pots.

[The Large One]

Had a rummage but couldn't see anything
Thought could be mice but surely 4 packs....I would have thought the odds were on my side for at least one to get missed and germinated even if some had got munched/rotted/bad seed

Everyone who's "lost" them ~ have you had a rummage down in the soil to see if the seed is still there?

You may find:

- it's rotted
- it just hasn't germinated yet
- it's vanished (mice)

[Florence Fennel]

I'm not particularly keen on broad beans, but I found a few in the bottom of my seed box so bunged them in the ground in November. Looked yesterday and they are about 6" high and looking healthy. If I remember rightly they were Sutton. My friend always sows hers in the Spring and they catch up with the winter sown anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much.

[Two_Sheds]

they catch up with the winter sown anyway

There's only about a fortnight difference in harvesting, it's true.

The main benefit of winter sowing is that the plants are tougher and very much less appetising to the blackfly

[lottie dolly]

I'll be starting my broad beans off in the safety of the greenhouse in pots.

make sure you cover them up or mice will still have feast,in the warmth and shelter of the green house,the bring their mates in,lo

[Dynamo]

make sure you cover them up or mice will still have feast,in the warmth and shelter of the green house,the bring their mates in,lo

I've never had any problems with mice in my greenhouse thankfully.

[Alison]

The main benefit of winter sowing is that the plants are tougher and very much less appetising to the blackfly

make sure you cover them up or mice will still have feast,in the warmth and shelter of the green house,the bring their mates in,lo

Thankfully I've never had a problem with either blackfly or mice - loads of other pests though sadly

[weekendwellies]

Today I just checked the ones I was chitting in the airing cupboard, and they have varying levels of rooting, so I potted them all up and tossed them into my little unheated, plastic covered grow-house. Hopefully they will not be put off by the chilly temperature and continue to develop ready to plant out in March.
- I was quite chuffed as there were a few that were well past their best before date, and others that I got last year so are still within their ideal sowing time, and most of them chitted beautifully. So much for out of date seeds.

[Alison]

Broad bean seeds last for ages, grew some about 10 years past their sell by a few years ago with almost 100% germination - which was rather more than I was expecting so I did have a lot of beans that year as I can't throw them away when they've made the effort to grow

[sowitgrowit]

Today I just checked the ones I was chitting in the airing cupboard, and they have varying levels of rooting, so I potted them all up and tossed them into my little unheated, plastic covered grow-house. Hopefully they will not be put off by the chilly temperature and continue to develop ready to plant out in March.
- I was quite chuffed as there were a few that were well past their best before date, and others that I got last year so are still within their ideal sowing time, and most of them chitted beautifully. So much for out of date seeds.

Do you (or anyone else) suffer from the lack of light at this time of year? I don't want my broadies getting leggy and weak (some of my other early efforts look like they are struggling and spindly).

Is it worth waiting for spring to be a little more... sprung?

I have half a dozen sown at thw moment but will obviously want more than that in the longer term!

[salome2001]

I have two sowings of broadies on the plot- Aquadulces that were sown as per advice from Dave The Old Boy On The Plot on November 14, and some that predated this by a few weeks as they were sacrificial beans for an aminopyralid test for some new pony poo. The pony poo ones are taller (4-5 inches) but I have 4 almost perfect rows of 2-3 inch high seedlings from the November sowing. No idea why- apart from giving them a good serve of bonfire ash in December, I think I read somewhere that they liked it.