Sutton Broad beans

When I planted my Sutton beans in April they were very healthy and strong. They produced an abundance of flowers which looked very hopeful. Over the last few weeks, the flowers (and a lot of the pods) dropped off at the base and further up the plant. The leaves have been eaten by small slugs and the few beans (some never developing and staying a moudly color) are very misshapen and short .

I have put organic friendly pellets on the ground, watered and occasionally fed with seaweed to keep the plant healthy.

I thought broad beans were supposed to be the easiest veg to grow !

While I am at it, in the same bed the curly Kale is being eaten by slugs and snails. All the books I read tell me it's a good leaf to grow because the pests don't bother. OH YES THEY DO !!! 

Thats exactly whats happening to my suttons, had a few healthy pods, now nothing, slugs have eaten all the way up, even though I've got beer traps & Im out every night with a torch! Now i just dont care, the rain is finishing off everything else!

I grew suttons this year, started them in the greenhouse and got some nice plants. Got enough beans off them for  two meals , very poor this year and no slug problems to blame it on.

've grown suttons this year in my litle patch in the garden....lovingly cossetted, they haven't done all that much.A couple of meals and that's it....pesky slugs.....

But on the lottie I put in B.Exhibition, adn they've done well, considering they 've been left to fend for themselves really.Lots of broad beans, bacon and parsely moments...mmmn...plus in risottos .Have about 2 pounds in the freezer and some more still to pick.Will definitely put some of those in again.

I've already mentioned my poor yield from my bunyards and suttons. Having now picked everything and pulled the plants. I've had a fraction over 6lbs of shelled beans from 96 plants, not impressed at all. No sign of pests, a little blackfly but no more than normal and there were plenty of flowers.