Broad Beans - plant now?

What's the view on planting broad beans now? Can I plant in the garden? Will they need protection? How's about a heated greenhouse?

Any information would be most helpful! We are in Devon, by the coast so largely frost free apart from half a dozen or so each winter. My soil is a sandy-loam and fairly free draining and the garden aspect is south-westerly.

Any particular variety?

Thanks in anticipation!

 

Aquadulce is a variety recommended for Autumn planting. Personally I would rather sow broad beans in pots in the New Year.

 

I agree. I tried late sowings in the past, and lost quite a few. Not much to be gained by sowing this early. Sow in spring

 

In 2015 we sowed our Broad Beans in November (Aquadulce Claudia) and got hardly any beans because they were desimated by the dreaded black fly despite pinching out the tips at the first sign of black fly and spraying them with a washing up liquid and water mixture. Winter sown varieties are not supposed to get black fly but it seems as it was a hot year they bred out of control and there wasn't hardly any lady birds to eat them

This year 2016 because of having to sort out other stuff we never got round to sowing our winter/spring broad beans until March time and as soon as we saw the first two black fly on the plants Mr Kandy pinched out all the tops from four double rows and we had the best crop ever which more than made up for the losses of 2015

So @ChilliPepper if you are in Devon and don't get many hard frosts or black fly you might want to sow them now outside in the ground if you have the room in which case you will be picking pods quiet early or you can sow them in the spring and get a slightly later crop.It is going to depend on how the winter goes on for you as to what crop you get by sowing now.

 

I sowed Aquae Dulce Claudia in root trainers in the green house about 3 weeks ago, these are coming through nicely and after hardening off a bit they will go in the first good weekend in December when no frost in the offing for a day or so.

 

Many thanks for all the replies. Like a moth to a flame, I'm going to see if NigelJ's root trainer idea will work in my greenhouse, even at this late stage in the year! I'm guessing it may work for early peas as well?

 

Photo taken today.



Twenty-four to approx. a square meter.

These Aquadulce Claudia beans were germinated in small 9cm pots in the cold frame around mid October for about eight days and then left outside to harden off.

They were planted out early for similar reasons to Kandy's: to avoid blackfly next year, and to get an earlier crop. Since we're limited for space in the community garden, the beans must be harvested no later than mid June next year in order to make room for a second crop.

I've also potted on some Lavandula stoechas cuttings as well as root cutting of spearmint to act as insect pest repellents in readiness.

 

I wouldn't rule out sowing them direct outside now @ChilliPepper.

I've always sown my Aquadulce Claudia broad beans direct in the ground in the first two weeks of November. Your winters in Devon are probably a little milder than ours, so it's not too late for you to sow them now.

The advantage of direct sowing is that no hardening off is required, they usually germinate by around Christmas and Aquadulce Claudia is a good hardy variety which will take most things an average British winter can throw at it.

There are usually a few losses, although even after a harsh winter I've never lost enough to have any great effect on the final crop. In last winter's mild weather, my losses were virtually zero.

Most years, blackfly isn't too much of a problem for me, I can only remember one year (in about the last 30) when I had a bad infestation and even that was after I'd already had several pickings of beans off the plants, so it wasn't a total loss.

 

Thanks for the posting and photo. No problem harvesting the plants towards the centre of the 1m X 1m plot?

Are the lavender and spearmint plants a deterrent for blackfly? ​

 

Yes, I find that the hybrid lavender deters blackfly and other sap sucking insects. This year and in previous years, I noticed that peas and beans grown in close proximity to lavender were not targeted but those further away and upwind were seriously infested with blackfly.

The spearmint is to deter ants and aphids.

For double insurance and for the edible flowers, leaves and seed pods, I would also grow nasturtiums as a trap crop to draw the blackflies away. However, this is a herbaceous plant (tops die off in winter) so is not usually started off outdoors at this time of year.

And, no, there are no problems with harvesting the pods towards the centre of the plot.

 

I have broad beans in pots in the shed and should be ready to plant out in about five weeks

 

Thanks for your reply Paul and I hope you get a good early crop. I'm going to try the root trainers and have my Aquadulce seed ready. I'll probably try getting them out in the garden soon after they emerge from the root trainers but keep them under a cloche. We are in Devon so only occasionally get caught out by long periods of frost.

 

I used to direct sow when I lived in Essex no problem. I tried the same thing in Devon and that some of the seed rotted off in the wet ground and that the slugs had the rest as they came through. Two disadvantages of milder wetter winters.
Also they do need support in windy weather.
My plants were planted out in the garden mid December and are currently 6 to 9 inches high and looking good.

 

Any thoughts on quality?
I've not grown broad beans for years, but when I did I always went for green seeded varieties as they were considered superior for flavour, but at the sametime more tender in growth, so only used for spring sowing?
Just a thought.

 

Thanks for the reply Nigel. I'm returning to an early (indoor) sowing experiment following a very similar experience here in Devon, with its mild winter weather. I found the loss, due to rotting and/or slugs when sowed directly in the autumn was disheartening so gave up for a bit. I'm hoping that planting out some well started plants (with some in reserve) will get me off to a flying start. Next year though, should all go well, I'll time it much earlier as you have done.

My aim is to get two crops in a season as we enjoy broad beans so much. I've got some Masterpiece Green Longpod seed lined up for the second sowing. They did really well last year.