Sowed My Broad Beans Today

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Cider Boys
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Some of you may remember that I used to grow broad beans and potatoes commercially for many years. The broad beans always served me well and I used to try and plant as soon after the end of September as possible. They are an easy plant to grow and I used to wish that they were more popular with young people. If I got them in early enough and was able to pick them early I got three times the price that I would get a fortnight later. Unfortunately I lost all the ground I used to rent (it is now two cricket pitches and four football pitches) and had to give up a couple of years ago. At the same time a garden I used to use was sold which left me quite sad. My own garden is very small and I've been suffering from withdrawal symptoms ever since. I have now been fortunate in buying a small parcel of land which has grade 1 soil and have just started making a small vegetable garden and have just finished planting some broad beans. I hope that they will be ok as I remember that the mice can steal them when I used to grow them in an allotment, but when I grew them in fields I never noticed any problems with mice but crows could be a problem and I sometimes used a heavy roller after sowing to deter the crows. I'm happy again now and hope to see them prosper over the winter.

Best wishes

Barney
Catherine
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Barney I am really glad to hear you are happy now that you have got some land to plant a veggie garden and look forward to seeing how you go on next summer. You must keep us posted. :D
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Cider Boys
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Thanks for your kind remarks Catherine, I have accidentally recreated an old post when I was looking for the last time that I had planted any broad beans. I touched the 'bump' (whatever that is) and it has put the old posting on the forum. If anyone can remove it please do so.

Thanks

Barney
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OOps never mind. I learnt to post a photo yesterday which took me forever and I have been on here since 2009. I am sure someone will do what you wish very soon. Anyway hope your garden is still looking good. :)
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I am still harvesting broad beans, but they are looking a bit scruffy so may clear that bed. It is a little late but will sow my over wintering ones tomorrow, hopefully there will be enough day time light for them to germinate, to date it is quite mild enough & the soil is still warm so 1/2 the battle won. Will see though.

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Primrose
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Good luck with your new venture Cider Boys. When you have been used to growing vegetables for many years, it must indeed cause withdrawal symptoms when you are now longer able to do so. It's almost impossible not to respond naturally to the various seasons of the year.
I hope the mice don't get your bean seeds. Perhaps when you grew them en masse they still had a few but there were so many you didn't miss them.

I agree broad beans don't seem to be popular. I think it's possible because people don't really know how to cook them successfully, i.e, they cook them for too long, and those with the grey skins get tough and look very unpalatable. We have more recently occasionally bought frozen soya beans, which look very similar but are smaller and have very green skins, which look nicer if you are serving them for a more special occasion and presentational colour is important.

Has anybody has tried growing them? it would be interesting to know because this might get over some of the lack of popularity problem. I don't recall ever seeing soya bean seeds advertised by the seed merchants though. Perhaps that's because I have never specifically looked for them, but an experiment of growing them side by side with broad beans might be interesting for anybody who has the space to do so. Unfortunately I don't unless I sacrifice other crops.
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Cider Boys
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I would think that now is the optimum time to sow broad beans Westi, no need to worry about day light hours as long as your soil is warm and does not get water logged all should be fine. Mine certainly had a good soaking today.

I've not ever been very adventurous with gardening Primrose (but things could change) and have never attempted growing soya beans but this link shows that seeds are available and can be grown here.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your ... soya-beans

Barney
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Primrose
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Thanks for that link. From an edible viewpoint soya beans are pretty identical to broad beans. They're just a little bit smaller in size and greener in colour, rather than grey skinned.
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Soya beans, yes I grew them once some years ago, probably got the seeds from Thompson & Morgan, purveyors of stuff that might just work in a greenhouse in a sheltered spot in Cornwall. :wink:

They grew OK, but weren't particularly to our taste. :?
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Primrose
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Hadn't realised they needed a warmer environment than broad beans to thrive, especially as they seem so similar in other ways.
I am always amused at recipes which say "remove the grey outer skins from the beans before serving". Who has the time and patience to do that? Presumably some varieties have greyer or thicker skins than others?
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Geoff
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Only grow green Broad Beans - Masterpiece Green Longpod if you have the space for big plants.
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Ha Primrose!

I do! :oops: Never really liked them much, but did this Jamie recipe for friends coming around & it was a spread type thing with peas, mint & ricotta - bright green needed so had to take them out of the skins.

I know it's just psychological but so pretty without the grey skins & I find it quite relaxing popping them out. A quick blanch & a tiny split just happens so no difficulty. Not quite addicted but not on my YUK list anymore.

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I probably sound strange, but I love the texture of the skin, something to get your teeth into rather than just the 'soft' centre. We have grown Masterpiece Green Longpod and de Monica the last two or three years and they have been very productive and tasty, so will do so again next year.

As for sowing them now, I did try that some years ago but found that they were not much earlier than the spring-sown ones (which I start off in roottrainers in the greenhouse in any case) and we also lost several overwintered plants, so now I only sow in spring.
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Cider Boys
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I do not understand why anyone would eat them when the skins are old and as previously described, grey. You just pick them earlier whilst the skins are supple and green. When I grew them they had to be packed in a certain way in boxes and were regularly sampled and inspected. As soon as the beans filled the pods we would harvest them whilst they were fresh and green. If you leave them to mature then it is no wonder that many do not like them and need to peel them.

Barney
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This year I grew Stereo which are very small but lovely and tender and they don't get the leathery coat until they are really old and then it isn't as tough as the larger varieties.
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