Broad Beans - a few questions from a beginner

I've never grown Broad Beans before but thought that I might give them a go this year. Looks like now is a good time to start them off indoors then put them outside (but not plant outside for a month or two) - I don't have a cold frame so they are going to have to take their chances with the wind, rain and and cold (although I understand that some varieties are fairly frost tolerant so I would only bring them inside if a hard frost is forecast).

I'm wondering which varieties to go for - the main issues that I have in my high, exposed location are wind (gales), rain (and general dampness) plus it's rather cool until May. Oh yes, and the soil is pretty heavy and clay-like.

The wind in particular concerns me as I don't want the plants to be blown over. I have a good sunny location to plant them in but that is also subject to any strong southerly winds.

Any ideas please?

 

Interesting info @JWK. Spot on about them attracting Blackfly, mine got a bit of it despite nipping out the tops but I didn't know that wind is a bit of a help with these pests. I don't get blackfly here normally except for 1 yup only 1 shrub/tree (Euonymus red cascade) I have no idea how many shrubs trees herbaceous I have, a huge number in other words but nothing else gets bothered until growing Broad Beans. "The jury is out " on them so perhaps I won't bother to grow them again as there are other veg we prefer.
Do you spray for blackfly and if so with what? My supply of no doubt now banned insecticides/pesticides were finished last season. The last bottle was Murphy's Tumblebug which i don't think you can get anymore. Use so little I think it was about 1990 I bought the last bottle. I only now spray anything needing it in the greenhouse and leave nature to it outside pretty well. I do a bit of squashing (yuk) if a bad infestation.

 

Thanks for the help and advice JWK, I'll look into the variety that you mentioned.

And especially noted re the blackfly.

As I plan to germinate them indoors (I'll pop them in the airing cupboard) I guess I'll then need to put them straight outside (still in their seed trays/pots). I'll no doubt bring them back in if a hard frost is forecast. In fact, I may bring them inside every night to avoid mice getting at them!

Are they particularly deep rooted plants? I ask as I have loads of toilet and kitchen rolls which I'm using for my sweet peas but I can of course spare some for a few broad bean plants.

 

Thanks JWK.

 

@TheMadHedger are you growing the broad beans for an allotment or for a garden? because you can sow Aquadulce Claudia now straight into the ground and they will give you an early crop of beans,earlier than spring sown varieties and with luck you won't have the black fly problems that are associated with the spring sown varieties.

Two seasons ago we were late getting our winter ones in and had to rely on spring sown ones.We practically lost the whole lot to black fly despite me sraying three times with a soap spray that I made up.

In the Autumn of that year I sowed my winter variety I have mentioned and had a fantastic crop over a number of weeks last summer and was able to freeze loads of them which Mr Kandy is working his way through now