I sowed 18 seeds of the Sutton. 12 have germinated and the others show no signs of doing so. However the 12 are planted out and seem to be doing well.
Valerie

Thank you so much to all who replied for taking the time to help me, I really appreciate all your thinking and the ensuing discussion. We are going to sow our broad beans in pots this evening and it will be SCAR DOWN, after soaking for a couple of hours. I have subscribed to KG for a couple of years...

Silly question I know, however which way up do I sow broad bean seeds, does the edge with the brown mark go up or down, i.e. does it produce the roots or the shoots?
Does it matter?