Kitchen Garden Forum

I am wondering if I sow broad beans now, will they crop by March/April? If so can I plant my spuds in the place they have used ?
Thanks in advance.

Dear WestHamRon, it will totally depend on the weather if this is to work.
If sown now the beans will put a lot of growth on before Christmas, then if we get a lot of hard weather they will really suffer, but if we get another mild year like last year they could make it through O.K.

I was hoping Mike Vogel might read this, as i'm sure it was him that did this last year, and i think the beans came through the Winter pretty well.

I still think it would be well into April by the time the beans were finished though.

Hiya,
overwintering broad beans is something i"ve considered but not tried.Always been given to understand by the more experienced "oldtimers"on the site that the early spring sown beans would soon catch up with the autumn sown beans.
Regards,snooky

i gave up on autumn sown years ago, if the weather didnt get them the pigeons, pheasants and rabbits had a good feed . now when ithink spring has arrived i sow a few in the tunnel , at the same time start the 2nd batch in pots in the tunnel for planting out early , then maybe a third lot a bit later.

Thanks for your replies.
What i'm intending to do is as follows,
Sow beans in a trough, in my conservatory, when about 4" high, plant out.
At the beginning of April, plant potatoes in 12" holes in between beans.
I have heard of this idea of planting pots in holes rather than trenches as it means less "earthing-up".
I hope that by the time the pots need "earthing-up", the beans will have cropped.
I am ready to be "shot down in flames".

Sorry I'm late, folks - I'm between computers, as it were.

I always sow in autumn; the beans crop well after being given a winter start and a boost as the weather warms up. They are also less prone to blackfly. Even spring-sowing-dedicated varieties like Witkiem seem to thrive.

The only beans I've sown so far, though, are for green manure. I don't want the beans for cropping to grow too much now or else a really bad frost can damage them. I wait for half term and sow between mid- and end-October, same time as the garlic.

mike

I always sow in autumn and then again in the spring. I oly lose a couple out of about 40 plants and they are ready at least a month before the spring sown ones. I agree with Mike Vogel that they are considerably less susceptible to blackfly. I normally use Aquadulce and have always had a good crop. And I also sow them at half term when I do garlic and overwintering onions. I don't know if it's the best time but it suits me.
-------------
Granny