Help with broad beans please!

Hi All,

We recently moved into a new home and one of my projects was to make some raised beds. Completed successfully (with a bit of luck as my woodwork isn't great!) and planted some Japanese onions, broad beans and various herbs. Was a little nervous about insects and so have been keeping them all under some cloches and all have grown very well. The beans are now too big for their cloche (about mid to top shin) and I will need to let them grow 'freely' from here. Any hints or suggestions to implement/things to watch out for, so our first planting isn't decimated by insects and birds as soon as I take the cloche off - have silly images of them rubbing their hands together the second i take it off and thinking " you're mine now beans" (not keen on pesticides)? Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated, as all very new to us but keen to learn; we're discovering there is a wonderful satisfaction in seeing things grow!

Jaimie

 

At this time of year there aren't many beasties going to munch your broad beans, the main thing is to get them stakes or other forms of support in.

Cheers, Tony.

 

Thanks Tony, will let them free and make some bamboo supports.

 

Will they survive the winter without being under cloches?

 

Hi,

Sorry for the tardy response, have been travelling home from Cornwall. Re the winter question, I don't know but understood they were frost hardy and ok for winter growing, hopeful that someone will enlighten us more!

 

Hi there. Yes, they are hardy, but only up to a point. What that point is, I really don't know, but I can tell you that around 4 years ago, I sowed some Broad Beans around October, for cropping the following year. Not one survived! I know many gardeners HAVE successfully overwintered them over the years, but they need to be sown late so that they aren't too tall, and need more of an 'average' winter.

Cheers...Freddy

 

Thanks all for the input, feeling a little sheepish about putting them in too early (I planted them a few months ago and they are about top shin height now) but as you say all a learning curve and thank you all for being so polite too! I'll stick with them and see what happens as I don't think I have the heart to replace them yet, and will see if the experiment brings any spring joy. Will stake them with bamboo and string/cable ties, unless anyone thinks this is a bad idea. Sorry if this is another silly question but do you support all the shoots?

Here's a picture of them too, am taking the cloche off this evening (ignore the grass, needs a cut - just back from holiday ).

Thanks again for all the help.

Jaimie

 

Great advice again. Thanks!!!