when to plant out broad beans?

[chilli_grower]

Evening all.

I was wondering when the majority of you sow your broad beans?

I.E do you sow in pots? And if so when?

Or do you direct sow now or maybe March/April time?

I have some in 3" pots that have just come up, but I am now wondering if that was the right thing to do? As the roots will fill these pots in a couple of weeks or so, and then what?

Do I re pot? Or could I plant out?

[bario1]

There's no point re-potting broad beans CG. They are very hardy, they could go straight out if they've germinated in a cold greenhouse, you could maybe cloche or fleece them in case of a severe frost though. If they've been germinated indoors in the warm they might appreciate a few days of hardening off before they go in the ground.

[Scarlet]

Mine are in pots in the GH....they will be hardened off before they go out. I find they grow a bit fast if you keep them undercover for long so once they formed a good set of roots - out they go.

[chilli_grower]

THey are currently in my very cool conservatory.

So they are used to being cold already!

Ok, so all should be ok to harden off in a couple of weeks and plant out right????

THey will still be rather small though...

[veggiechicken]

I've been planting mine out when they have a few leaves and look sturdy. They're grown on in a cold GH until then

[WilliamD]

I'll be sowing mine (The Sutton) straight into the ground but not for a while yet. Although the packet says from February, I just checked my records and last year I didn't sow until 13th April and they were very successful.

[Alison]

I have one load of small plants in root trainers in the cold greenhouse which will get planted into the polytunnel in a couple of weeks time. My outdoor ones were sown today, in root trainers again.

[chilli_grower]

I am just a little worried that they might become a tad root bound if I leave them in the 3" pots for too long...

I am happy to plant them out mid march if they can stay in the posts until then????

THey are currently 1" tall, and I can see a root at the bottom of the pots!!!!!

[Bigmallly]

They should be fine CG, after all mid March is only 3 weeks away...............

[Alison]

I wouldn't worry either, sounds absolutely fine

[chilli_grower]

ok great, I will just leave them be, and as you say Bigmally mid March is not too far away...

[Bigmallly]

Be careful CG, they may have put another inch on by then...............

[Kristen]

I am just a little worried that they might become a tad root bound if I leave them in the 3" pots for too long...

It wouldn't bother me unduly, but I would be tempted to feed them so they don't starve in limited compost. Dunno if they sort out their own Nitrogen living in a 3" pot?? so I would feed with something light on Nitrogen, if I had any! otherwise something general purpose (but as a liquid feed)

[brownfingers]

I've just transplnted mine into a raised bed outside. They've been growing in pots in the greenhouse and are now a foot tall and producing their first flowers. IIRC, I sowed the in late november. I'll try to put some pics up tomorrow.

[libbyloulou]

A pic of mine planted late October...Think these need to go out today while it's quite mild