[Tenhens]

November 19th 2013 planted Aquadulce seeds , first time for several years.  June 15th 2014 served up for Sunday roast (via the steamer)  superb!  A growing result!!

[Nobbie]

Harvested mine yesterday, cabbage, mushroom and broadbean stir fry yesterday and broadbean rissotto tonight, yum. Forgotton just how nice they are . I've left a few on the plants, to mature for seed, and cut the rest down to see if I can get a second crop later in theyear as I don't need the ground.

[Robster]

Ditto.  Marvellous crop of broad beans.  My best ever autumn sown beans.  We have had our fill recently and the last for blanching and into the freezer.

I am conducting the same experiment as Nobby.  I cut them down to about 3-4 inches above the ground.  I've weeded forked over the soil BFB and watered generously.  I'd real like another crop.  We'll see.

[lettice]

Why this autumn sowing?
I do the same each year.
Put the seeds (this year Bunyard exhibition) in wet kitchen towel in the greenhouse to germinate first first few weeks of march and then let to grow in the greenhouse in pots till about 6 inches.
I do two germinations about two weeks apart.
They were all out into the garden by mid april.

Had my first picking this weekend, delicious.
Trouble is with broad beans, they all get eaten, even with the bumper crop I normally get, but always freeze a bowlful for Christmas day, tradition!

I tried cutting them down after the crop finished the last few years but got no more growth.

[beesrus]

Why Autumn sowing ?
I was eating beans the second week in May.
The bed gets cleared early for another Summer crop, usually my PSB and kale to take advantage of the roots left behind.
Keeps a couple of beds full helping to stop the Winter leeching.
Lovely show of March greenery and flowers when little else is about.
No blackfly whatsoever from start to finish of harvest.
Good for the morale as one nearly always starts off the season with a result.

Why not Autumn sowing ?
I admit I had awful trouble this Winter with the weather, let alone planting too early for some strange reason. Chocolate spot followed by gales and then rust.  But, even with all that, I still got a fantastic crop. Aquadulce is just sooooo hardy. The Imperial I tried over Winter for the first time pegged it with the rain.

Have just picked bag fulls of the Autumn crop for blanching and freezing. Have just started munching the Spring sown crop as a fresh pleasure for a couple of months, provided I keep on top of the fly.