Broad Beans sulking!!

[Catherine]

I planted out my broad beans about three weeks ago, they were really healthy plants when I planted them but since then we have had cold weather.

I have put a cloche over on the coldest nights, but they are now starting to go yellow from the bottom and are not doing anything at all growth wise. Any suggestions please.

[pongeroon]

No help at all, Catherine, mine are the same

[Catherine]

Oh well that's ok then I thought it might be something I had done wrong. We have used farm yard manure in that bed. I have just been to look at them tonight and now they have little nibbles in the leave. I don't remember ever having slug problems before.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Catherine, i feel the nibbling of the leaves is unlikely to be slugs, i think the culprits will be Sitona Lineatus, thats Pea and bean weevil to the likes of me. They have given the broad beans on the Milton Bryan allotments a right old nibbling this year. And there was me thinking the cold Winter might have killed them off.
But the plants do seem to grow faster than the weevil are able to nibble.

Regarding your Broad beans, it sounds as if they have had a check of some sorts. But there can be many reasons for this, so it's quite hard to give an answer.

I planted some out at roughly the same time as yours, but i'm glad to say they are now growing away well.

[freddy]

Hi Catherine. I know it doesn't answer your question, but in the past I've normally started off my plants by sowing in pots. They've normally started ok, but once planted they've seemed to just stop for a few weeks, before growing away. However, this year I tried root-trainers. I have to say that I've never had such good looking plants. When I opened up the root-trainer for planting, it was crammed with really healthy looking roots. Once planted, they haven't looked back ! I know they aren't cheap, but I can thoroughly recommend them, and I reckon they should last for quite a few years.
BTW, I agree with OH, sounds like the pesky weevil

Cheers...freddy.

[John P]

I agree with you Freddy,I have used root-trainers this year and last year and they certaintly produce much stronger plants and roots then modules or peat pots especially with peas or beans though I have not tried them with the likes of lettuce,cabbage,or beetroot,but will do so in the future.

[Victoria]

A couple of years ago my broad beans were 'sulking' and going yellow etc. One of the more experienced men on the allotments suggested to me that I hadn't firmed the plants in enough, (I tend to grow most things at home and transplant) so I retrod them in and hey presto they recovered.

[Monika]

I fully agree about the roottrainers. I have used them since they first came out, just trying them at first. Over the years I have now accumulated about 8 tall ones and 6 short ones and use them for most sowings (the tall ones are used for sweet peas from autumn to March, then for broad beans, then for runner and French beans etc).

About the broad beans looking unhappy, Catherine: the same here. They were strongly rooted plants, properly hardened off and planted firmly, but the N and NE winds the last fortnight or so has really kept them back. I am just hoping that, when eventually it gets warm and damp, they'll be off!

[Colin Miles]

I have raised 2 lots of Broad Beans in rootrainers. The first lot were protected initially with cloches but they have yellowed somewhat after a good start. Despite that, and a lot of nibbling from the weevils, they are starting to flower. The 2nd lot, sown at the same time as the 1st were planted out, are also nibbled though not as much, are looking very healthy and I really can't see that it was anything to do with the weather - I keep a close eye on the weather with my own weather station. Somewhat baffling and interesting to see how the plants do in the end.

[Elle's Garden]

My broad beans seem to be doing rather well - I have never grown them before so have nothing to compare with, but they are sturdy plants, healthy green in colour and covered with flowers. And there in lies the question - what does the pollinating on a broad bean?

I have seen no insects on them at all, the bumble bees that did so well on my runner beans last year pay no attention to them, flitting around the rosemary which is adjacent and then flying off. Some of the first lower flowers are now starting to fade and drop off, so I think that no pollination has happened. Are they like runner beans in that you can see a tiny bean just before the flowerhead seems to get pushed off?

[Catherine]

Hello everyone, sorry not to have replied but I have been on holiday and have only just got back to check my emails.

My broad beans are The Sutton they were grown in root trainers, which I do every year, they were really strong healthy plants, this year they seem even more dwarf that usual. But they are now flowering, but still dont seem to be growing any taller.

We shall wait to see what the beans are like.

The weather forecast says that it could go down to 5 degrees tonight so I have been up and covered everything in my polytunnel in fleece.

I can't believe this blasted weather. We've not had rain all month till today and then it only did a little shower. But I think that when it starts raining it won't stop.

[Nature's Babe]

I use toilet roll centres as root trainers, the widest ones, then pack them together in a box to keep the moisture in, it works well the broad beans are away very quickly and look green and healthy, roots grow through the toilet rolls with no disturbance. this year I am trying a red seeded variety. I save the t roll centres all year and have a plentiful supply at no cost, use them for runner beans, sweetcorn etc too

[Mike Vogel]

I don't sow broad beans inthe spring - only in the autumn. They usually cope with the frosts, although this year they suffered a bit. They are tall and thick now, and I am picking the beans while small and freezing as many as I can until the plants start producing pods which begin to thicken almost as soon as they appear. I mean to save plenty of seed, so we may well not eat broad beans at all the usual way.

[Catherine]

Just a quick update we eventually had a good crop from our broad beans this year. Still have three more sowings of broadbeans which are almost ready to pick. I am really pleased, this year we are not blanching them we have just frozen them after poding them, washing and drying them. We will see what happens when we start to use them

[Nature's Babe]

I grew red epicure beans this year, spring planting because the autumn planted ones didn't survive the harsh snow of winter. I usually grow aquadulce autumn sown, have just picked the epicure and was pleasantly surprised, excellent flavour and the skins were not tough even on the more mature beans, so I think epicure will be my choice for the coming autumn.