Broad beans

I don't think they climb like other beans. It will be my first year growing them too, but my dad grows them most years. He drives four stakes into the ground, to mark their four corners of their patch, then ties rope around the stakes and grows the beans in the middle. They don't climb but they get a bit wobbly and vulnerable to being pushed over by the weather, hence the enclosure to hold them up.

 

Hiya FC.

This is what I do. I sow them singly into root-trainers about an inch deep, in mid March, in my unheated greenhouse. They will probably take around 2 weeks to show and another 2 weeks before they're ready to go out. They are hardy, but it wouldn't hurt to harden them off for a few days before planting out. As already stated, it's best to give them some support as they quickly become top-heavy. I plant mine around 9" apart in the row, each row being around 1' apart. Hope this helps

 

They will require some support to prevent them falling over in windy weather.

The method I employ is to knock some stout stakes into the ground at the ends and along either side of each row, these can be fairly well spaced out, say about 6ft or so.

I then tie lengths of string along the rows, attached to these stakes, to provide support for the plants.

The first string is usually about 1ft above ground, with each subsequent string being about 6-12ins above the last.

The main pest of broad beans is black aphid, so marigolds, or anything else which attracts aphid predators will be beneficial.

The aphids will initially appear around the growing tips of the plants, usually in late May or June. Provided the plants have reached a height of about 3 or 4ft (depending on the variety) pinching out the growing tips can help to prevent the spread of the aphids.

As for siting, as long as they're not in deep shade and don't get too dry they should be fine.

 

Root trainers...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...vpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_3yi2qjd3mx_e

 

No need to tie them in FC. I just make up a grid using string The idea is to just stop them flopping about

 

I've heard about these root trainers a few times. They must be good if the price is anything to go by, but in practical terms, what makes them better than, say, starting them off in a bog roll tube filled with compost so that you can plant the whole thing without disturbing the roots?

Sorry that's not meant as a leading question, I'm just curious.

 

Hiya C1.

I really rate them. I can only speak of my own experience. Don't ask me about the science, all I can say is that when I go to plant them, the 'trainer' is packed with roots, and once planted, there seems to be no 'check' at all to growth, compared to say using a pot. As I understand it, the tap root goes down to the bottom, and dies off because there's nowhere else to go. This (apparently) encourages many more roots to form. Good stuff imo

 

FC, it shouldn't be necessary to tie individual plants to the strings as they grow, just make sure the strings are quite close to the sides of each row to prevent the plants from falling over sideways in windy weather.

 

I've used loo rolls for years to very good effect. I do also have some root trainer modules but use them mainly for other more fussy veg.
I start a few early beans about now and will plant them in the polytunnel and in a couple of months time I'll start some more for out in the garden. And one of these years I'll remember to sow some late ones in September for a very early crop!!

 

This is true. I find though that they are still a problem. Given that many pesticides are no longer available, I find that using washing up liquid diluted with water is fairly effective at controlling blackfly. It is usually necessary to apply several times.

 

I sow y Broad Beans indoors (brings them on a bit quicker) until they sprout (I put them on some damp kitchen paper in a Tupperware box), and then pot them up individually into 9cm pots in an unheated greenhouse. Mine have been in a couple of weeks already; I recommend the variety Aquadulce if you want to start them off early, I haven't found that others are as robust if the weather turns cold, but anything sown now (i.e. under cover) is not going to be planted out for a month so any variety would do.

I just put 4 bamboo canes at the corners, and run a string around them, to stop the plants falling over. They do keel-over a bit within their "pack", but I've not found it a problem and I don't have time to erect (and de-construct and retrieve ) anything more robust than that.

I find root trainers fiddly and that the rootball is quite often disturbed during planting, compared to just knocking a plant out of a pot. For anything that hates root disturbance (Parsnips, Sweetcorn) or likes a really deep root-run (Sweet peas) I use newspaper pots - loo rolls would do as well, but I don't think they are tall enough for things that want a long root run. They'll be fine for Broad beans though, but I don't think Broad beans mind being transplanted, so any pots should be fine.

 

What variety are they? - some like Bunyards Exhibition and Aquadulce grow to about 5ft (1.5M), so will need staking. the variety Sutton is much smaller and grows to only 1ft-2ft (30-60cm) and may not require support in a shelterd spot.

a-a