Broad beans

Don't appear to have any pods at all probably due to the cold wet "Summer" and the almost complrete absence of flying insects to pollinate them.     To top it all they have chocolate spot.    Does anyone remember a year as bad as this?

This year will either break or make most of us as ut id very diffiucly to face the work without any, or little, produce to show at the end of it.

I sowed Imperial Green Longpod and Bunyards Exhibition this year.

Most of the I.G.L. didn't germinate but the Bunyards  have produced loads of beans,although

just starting to develop chocolate spots

Cheers Carl

first lot sown late last year were decimated so planted a second lot early this year and had more success.

I used to hate them - had only ever had them with the vile outer skin still on them that ruins them - but the flavour of that truly wonderful bright green inner bean, it is in a different league. A job to double-pod them but well worth it.

My bb's did rather well. Autumn sets. All harvested now and in the freezer.

No reason why you can't do a succession crop on broaders, Goosers! We just used to sow - say - 36 - in paper pots, and get them away, then do it again (four times this season)!

The first ones were last year's, sown late autumn and the second ones went like a train, the third lot struggled with slugs, and the fourth lot are about 8" high, and forming flowers.

Worth doing IMHO, as they have four chances of success that way!

Quote from: Growster... on July 21, 2012, 04:56

We were going to try that trick of cutting them down to the ground and trying to get them going again, but they really have suffered enough for this year...

RIP first and second lot (planted in succession - got about three and a half pounds after shelling),  two more later plantings to go...

Getting ready to prepare for next year's over-wintering ones here!

Hi Growster... .. sounds a good idea..  what do you reckon as the earliest and latest for succession planting of summer crop BB's ... in a normal year thai is 

Interesting question Gavin. We're going through the options on BBs as we speak, as well as peas!

I reeckon, that in a good year, I'd try an autumn sowing of 36 (that number's because we start them in paper pots which fit 18 to an ice cream box), and make that one bed - 8' x 4'.

When we start in the new year, we do another box about March, then another almost immediately.

This year we've added a fourth planting about a month ago, and they're in the ground and thriving!

The idea is that out of - say - 144 plants, there will be some winners, and some losers, but at least, we'll have enough to eat and freeze to last us the year.

Our losers were some of the autumn ones, and the third planting, which got hammered by the wind, and eaten by slugs before we could rescue them. However, they're showing some spirit again now, after a feed and a bit of string here and there...

The second plantings are in the freezer after an Olympic finish!

We're trying it with the peas too, even planting some out today - mildew threat acknowledged, but we may get a nice autumn, so why not!