Broaden your mind about Broad Beans

Broad beans are a delicacy when picked young and for some people are a favourite go to veg. As a child I remember enjoying the feel of the furry inside of the pod when we shelled them, but eating them was a different matter - especially with a tough skin - which I  found really unpleasant. Now I have learned that the fresher and younger the beans the more palatable they are and now I quite enjoy them.

In order to enjoy broad beans over a longer period of harvest, earlier sowings can be made in November and overwintered in a protected area such as a greenhouse before planting out in early spring.

Sowing the hardier Broad Bean varieties such as Aquadulce Claudia and Witkiem manita or The Sutton now will give them a headstart and good sized plants ready to plant out and take advantage of the early spring weather. They can then be followed by spring sowing of other varieties for the main harvest and successional sowings, if you have the room, to extend the season.

Sowing indoors rather than outdoors can mean the beans are protected from mice. Autumn sowings can also rot if waterlogged when planted outside, unless they are sown in free draining soil.

Once planted out then some taller varieties will need to be staked for support. Water the newly transplanted young plants if the weather is too dry. Protect from pests such as pigeons when plants are young and keep an eye out for blackfly when plants mature. Both the beans and the plant tips can be eaten. Love them or hate them? Maybe it’s time to try again for a tender taste test.