Starting broad beans now indoors?

[Inastate]

I intended to start broad beans a couple of months back and over winter them, but completely forgot.

Would it be alright/worthwhile starting now indoors, for an early crop?

[hollychap]

i intend to do the same in a cold greenhouse also with the mild weather we are having i am going to plant a few in the ground and see what happens

[Two_Sheds]

Would it be alright/worthwhile starting now indoors, for an early crop?

No.

Broad beans like cold weather. If you start them indoors (and I've done this, I'm not talking out of my hat) they will grow fast, tall & weak, floppy.
You will need to put them outside at some point, because they're getting big, but they won't be tough enough to survive, and they'll die. You'll then conclude that you just can't grow broad beans.

If you start them now, just as we come to the coldest parts of the year, you won't see much growth at all (outside), or, if temps keep on fluctuating (warm one week, frost the next) then you'll get a bit of growth which is then killed by frost.


So, ideally you want long daylight and warming (but still cool) temperatures: which means late Feb or March sowing

[marchogaeth]

I put some in the poly tunnel at the beginning of December and they have sprouted and are growing slowly but steadily. If you don't have cover, I think they'll just rot in the ground especially if it's damp as well as cold. Apparently they will germinate as low as 2C. It's that old thing where if you wait for a month or two, then plant in better conditions, those plants will overtake the ones sold earlier.

[Alison]

I always sow one root tray set of broad beans at the end of Jan. I sow in my cool conservatory, they germinate in a few days and get moved into the cold greenhouse as soon as they come through. They then get left to grow for a couple of weeks and then planted in the polytunnel for early cropping. Works very well and less hassle than autumn sowing. Generally sow crimson flowered ones.


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[BertieFox]

No reason not to start them off now by taking advantage of indoor or greenhouse temperatures to germinate the seeds. But then, harden the seedlings off as soon as possible by putting them outside in the day and progressively longer and longer until they are hardy enough to plant out. This presupposes that the ground is not frozen solid and covered with a foot of snow! If the soil is workable, get them planted out and you will find you get an earlier crop than even those sown already in November.

[binley100]

I sow some indoors now in loo roll middles on kitchen window sill, as soon as they germinate they get moved from kitchen to unheated conservatory and from there get moved to blowaway just outside backdoor.....they will then go out under a cloche . Did this last year no problems even with the unexpected late snowfalls..

[BertieFox]

Just to add, that our experience here, in northern central France, is that we cannot successfully overwinter broad beans outside. That's not because it is too cold, but that extremely cold weather is alternated repeatedly with fairly mild and sunny weather, which freezes and then thaws them, leading to the plants rotting. They burst into leaf too soon, and then the leaves are killed off. In the end they all rot to almost nothing. All we can do now is bring the plants on under cover and plant out as soon as possible to get the gap while the weather is still cool and temperate and before the really hot days arrive, often in May and June. Sow them outside in April and they will be shrivelled up by the heat before they flower and pod up. There is nothing to equal good broad beans in season, and so they really are worth the effort.

[binley100]

I've tried sowing direct either Nov or spring and the mice always get them first...have to wait till the seed has been well used by the plant .......

[planetologist]

Yes.

My answer is the exact opposite of Two Shed's, presumably because my house is only a few degrees warmer than outside, so the seedlings don't get that big shock when planting out. I've sown last week and if the weather stays mild like this I'll be planting out in February, though last year I think it was early April, by which time the plants were rather leggy, but I still got a good harvest.

I sow indoors because like binley100 I have lots of mice, and I also find that in a severe winter less than half the outdoor plants make it through winter.

[sherbert]

Sadly ....... Mine are about 5 inches tall at moment and are under 4in water
So planning to start a new lot in the polytunnel when my allotment is not underwater ... Was really impressed as the 1st thing I had started in my allotment ... now I think it will also be the 1st thing to fail!!

[arpoet]

I have given up trying to over winter broadies. I find the sown in tube in march in the cold greenhouse and planted out once we get a settled spell, they soon catch up. I don't mind em being late to harvest as I freeze them for winter soups and stews, etc.

[plotman]

Ive never had a lot of luck overwintering either, I will plant broad beans in late feb, plants will catch up and then i can wait for my little black fuury mates to move in ha ha, but i have a good hose pipe with fine jet )

[Jeanied]

I found that chitting the seeds before I plant deters the mice somewhat. I don't get 100% germination but I do get a fair rate.