BROAD BEANS

[Colin_M]

Hi Colin,
Field Beans do not stand the winter .I take it that you are talking about beans grown agriculturally for animal food stuff. If this is the case why did you grow them? If it was for green manure I feel that they are not really the thing to grow and there must be something with a better return.
JB.

Well, I both agree and disagree JB, let me explain.

In all the stuff I've read about Green Manures, Field Beans figure regularly. For example, here's a quote from the following website http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo_now/faqs.php?id=8

"Field beans - Legume; winter hardy. Only worth growing if you want to sow something as late as November."

However, as you say I expect Field Beans are normally grown for eating by species other than us! This year I decided that in future, I'll either plant peas or broad beans instead of Field Beans. That way, if they produce any beans, I'll get the benefit!

In the meantime, I think the idea of Field Beans is to add Nitrogen and prevent weeds moving in. And unlke the HDRA quote above, my ones don't seem to have coped with cold so far (unless it was just my pruning).


Colin

[Cider Boys]

Hello Colin

As long as you have sown the correct variety of Field Beans they should stand the winter.(There are spring and winter varieties.) The optimum time to sow them is mid October, if sown too early they can be affected by the frosts. Farmers do grow winter Field Beans for human consumption (they get the best prices) and are exported to Middle Eastern countries. The others are grown for animal consumption. I think that your beans will recover(assuming they are winter beans) but will be interested if any other members think the same.

Barney

[Wellie]

Thank you for the advice. I'm loathed to let it beat me, so I'll try again this year. Would I be too late to sow in a cloched raised bed this coming week? Even with a Bunyards or Longpod? I could easily keep it cloched all winter...
Your thoughts would be welcomed, thank you.

[Weed]

Well, I planted my field beans and they raced away with the unexpectedly warm weather...the frost caught them about a week ago but to my surprise they are recovering

[Colin_M]

the frost caught them about a week ago but to my surprise they are recovering

Glad to hear it Weed. At the moment, my earlier batch are black and getting droopier....


Colin

[Johnboy]

Hi Barney,
In this area there is only the one Field Bean available and I have never heard of the winter hardy variety and nor have my Agricultural Seed Merchants.
I simply assume that it is too cold in this area for the later variety. Our temperatures go to -15C on quite a regular basis and really this is why I packed up trying with Autumn sown Broad Beans as they never gave a decent return.
The Green Masterpiece Longpod, however, sown on the bench in last week February and first week in March do exceedingly well and give a wonderful crop. I prefer the Green Bean types rather than the white varieties. (Simply a personal preference.)
JB.

[Weed]

Johnboy

I bought my field beans from Ryton and was assured they would be suitable for overwintering...in fact it is one of the overwintering products recommended in their green manure guide

[Cider Boys]

Hello Johnboy

For information about winter field beans try -http://www.winter-beans.co.uk/

Barney

[Johnboy]

Hi Barney,
Quite a revelation! Thank you for the info. Very interesting and will be persued especially at the heels of my Agricultural Seed Supplier.
JB.

[Allan]

Not directly related to the point that you are discussing.
I do not grow broad beans outside during the winter, just in the polytunnels. I tried several standard varieties amnd found that the tall ones invariably grew too tall and leggy for polytunnel work so I use The Sutton only indoors, sown in January for an extra early crop and cleared just in time to use the space for a summer planting. There are early flowers which don't set due to lack of pollinators but reliably the later flowers produce a very heavy crop while there are no other broad beans on sale.
It is a long time since I tried autumn sowing and found then that it did not work out sufficiently early or easy compared with the polytunnel catch-crop. Autumn is a very busy time anyway for us so it is advantageous not to make a sowing then.
For outside work I too use Masterpiece Green Longpod as the best that I could find many years ago. A crop of Red Epicure is also grown.
All beans started in pots.
Allan

[jane E]

Excuse a quick return to mice.I deter mice from peas and beans by running paraffin over the seed and often dropping a few drops on the soil. It's never failed me yet.

[Dopolous]

But what do the beans taste like Jane? is this regular or unleaded!!!!! (only joking(

[Weed]

Not sure what part of Leicestershire you are in Jane but an allotment neighbour of mine tried the paraffin trick ....The mice loved 'em

We must be breeding super mice on the South side

[Chez]

We're in Leicestershire and tried soaking both our peas and broad beans in paraffin before sowing. Our mice enjoyed the extra 'sauce' too. Lost 95% of the peas and about 40% of broad beans (just the same as without paraffin). We have gone back to starting broadbeans in pots/trays/rootrainers. Peas in guttering. That's what really works for us.

[Colin_M]

We're in Leicestershire and tried soaking both our peas and broad beans in paraffin before sowing. Our mice enjoyed the extra 'sauce' too.

Maybe its the mice you need to soak in ....... no I'll get banned for even *thinking* of this


Colin