Over wintering broad beans

[tidy beard]

Hi,
I always sow a crop of broad beans in the autumn to over winter. This year the wet and windy weather has resulted in broken and sorry looking plants. (They survive frost and even snow very well) I was about to pull them up yesterday and sow fresh seed when I noticed that the majority were sprouting from the base. Am I likely to get a crop from these after trimming off the dead foliage or do you think or would I be better off starting again?

[charles]

I am unsure but they may crop, obviously later, I would cover with fleece to help them.
Do you remember your sowing date? I would sow 2-3 weeks later this autumn so they are less tall in winter. One does not know the autumn temperature in advance but on average they are milder than before.

[tidy beard]

Thanks very much Charles. I will cover with fleece as you suggest and see how they get on. They were sowed on the 14th October. In Autumn 2014 I sowed some on the same date and a second batch 4 weeks later. The October ones germinated and produced a good crop but the November sowing only germinated in February the following year. They then went on to produce a good crop also.

[charles]

I wonder if you are in northern Britain? Here November is better and last year December would have been ideal!

[tidy beard]

No, I’m in North Bucks. This autumn I will sow later and if it does get cold perhaps the seed will lay dormant again until it is ready.
I am originally from Lancashire however, and gardening now on heavy clay soil after experiencing the friable soil south of the Ribble estuary is one of the reasons I changed to no dig. This will be the third season my beds have been top dressed and not dug. Crops are better and there are far fewer weeds to contend with. The biggest difference however is that the soil does not dry out and crack anywhere near as much in hot weather.

[charles]

Thanks for your feedback tidy beard, its good to hear.
Conserving moisture is a reason why Kew vegetable garden is going no dig, I am covering that (!) in my next blog/newsletter.

[nigelthegardener]

Hi tidy beard, I grow over wintering Broad Beans every year. This year I have grown “The Sutton” which are low growing so don’t seem to get buffeted by the wind so much and generally don’t need any support. There have been some days as Charles says they look pretty sorry for themselves after a frost but soon recover. I have grown Aquadulce Claudia previously which have proved to be very good but do need some support. I am in York and we do get some decent frosts in the Vale of York and sadly as you will have seen on the news a lot of flooding! My plot used to flood but now on my third year of “no dig” and it has not stood in water this winter at all which in turn has obviously helped the Broad Beans.

[Vilokini]

Hi, I sowed my Aquadulce broad beans in early November on a newly constructed raised bed (no wooden sides), into well-rotted stable manure. With no frosts until February and a warm December they went off like rocket and are now flowering! Isn’t it too cold for the bees yet? I have been advised to ‘spring’ the flowers myself to allow the flowers to pollinate. Do you think it’s too early for bees to do it?

[charles]

Nigel thanks for your comments, a good idea to overwinter The Sutton.
And Vilokini, I would let nature sort things because its really too early for flowers to set. Broad bean plants need some reasonable warmth to grow enough for pods to develop and have tasty beans.
So if your early flowers turn into pods, they may abort anyway.
They will probably fall off then new flowers develop in two or three weeks, or even later as its cooler now than in winter.

[Author]

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