Wizard beans

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JayG

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Wizard beans
« on: August 17, 2018, 11:42 »
Just finished my late-sown crop of broad beans (Masterpiece Green Longpod) and pretty reasonable they were too given the growing conditions.

With limited space, I am wondering whether Wizard beans give a better yield per plant, and also how the flavour and texture compare to more traditional broad bean varieties (needing to remove tough skins is a definite deal-breaker for me!)

I'm not a fan of overwintering crops if I can help it - although the recommendation seems to be sowing in October, will they still perform well if sown in early spring?
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mjg000

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2018, 18:45 »
I have become a fan of Wizard field beans, in my experience the plants are  compact and seem less prone to blackfly.  They give a good yield but the later pods do need "skinning" to show the tender green bean.

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Florain

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2018, 21:06 »
We have grown them for some years now and really like them. We like to eat them really young and tender - think large pea size! Lovely to freeze at this size as mixed veg with young carrots, peas and french beans. I just chop/pod and vacuum pack in portions.

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New shoot

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2018, 08:47 »
I grow them every year and sow in October, just as a no-faff option.  Bung them in and walk away, putting a few extra seeds in to allow for losses.  You an always pull out any overcrowded ones once they germinate.  I've tried and failed to overwinter normal broad beans, but these are tough and hardy critters that shrug off anything the weather throws at them and just keep going.   I know Sunshineband starts hers in the greenhouse in early spring and plants out.  We both get crops, so take your pick on sowing time  :)

They are very productive and make bushy plants of several stems each.  The pods grow in clusters of 3 or 4 and although they are small with only 3 or 4 beans in each, there are masses of them.  For the space, it is a bigger heap of beans overall than a normal broad bean crop

Large pea sized as Florian says, they are very tender.  If you let them get large, they do have thicker skins, so try a few early and keep on trying, to see where your own cut off point is.  Or leave any bigger pods you miss for your seed crop next year, then it is a free heap of beans and you can be extra smug  :lol:


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AnneB

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2018, 10:34 »
Another vote for Wizard field beans here.  I have grown them for the last 5 years and now don't bother with ordinary broad beans.   The yields are so much better, the taste is great and I never have any problems with black fly.  I really rate them.

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sunshineband

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2018, 15:05 »
Another vote for Wizard field beans here.  I have grown them for the last 5 years and now don't bother with ordinary broad beans.   The yields are so much better, the taste is great and I never have any problems with black fly.  I really rate them.

They are really delicious and if you keep an eye on them to pick the pods when the beans are under 0.75cm long, they don't need skinning
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JayG

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Re: Wizard beans
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2018, 16:15 »
Thanks for all your comments - going to have to give them a go now aren't I?  ;)

Will probably try an early spring sowing, either outside or in the GH (the problem with my garden is that although south facing it also looks up towards a hill which means the sun barely gets above the horizon in the depths of winter, which makes it a pretty unfriendly place both for me and any crops out there.)

Next job is to gurgle x-ray specs so I can see how big the beans are inside the pods!  :unsure:



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