[Swing Swang]

Poor broad bean yields.

I’ve planted two different varieties of broad beans, six weeks apart, in 4yard long double rows,  8” between plants. Soil is fairly heavy clay, just on the acid side of neutral,  into which a 4” layer of well rotted farmyard manure was worked in last winter. The ground had been growing laurel for 20 years, but these were grubbed out  and the land * trenched last July. Beans started in fibre pots and planted out. Only fertiliser used was fish/blood/bone two weeks before planting out. Plot is in full sun. Weather has been fairly damp and ground has not dried out, no supplementary water was provided after transplants became established.

Yields were very disappointing. Virtually no flowers appeared on the early variety (unnamed variety from Dad’s smallholding in Portugal), and only got approx 1lb of shelled beans. Later plantings (Sutton) covered in flowers (and bees!) but virtually none have set. All plants look very healthy, no signs of disease, and virtually no blackfly.

Interestingly the adjacent row of mange tout peas have cropped very, very, heavily for four weeks.

Any idea why my beans have been such a disappointment?

Many thanks for your ideas,

Regards,

Swing Swang

[PhilRW]

Same here SS, - Suttons seeds (The Sutton) - mind you , my mange toute are also poor - about 6 ins high now yet this time last year was gathering them as fast as I could and couldn't keep pace.

[love-my-plot]

Hiya, we had a topic along similar lines, recently,you may find helpful  


click here

[gobs]

Peas are the odd legume that does need no pollinating really, broad beans need bumble or solitary bees for pollination, smaller things can't open the flowers.

Why the earlies did not flower, I don't know, could enquire about the variety, but might have been too much N fertiliser in there. I only give early beans a spring dressing on clay, if that.

[Aunt Sally]

Are you certain the flowers have not set ?

In my experience the flowers appear to have died and it takes a week or so before you can see the tiny bean begin to form.