I didn't have much success at the start of last year with my broad beans. Unfortunately fungal diseases and poor yields meant that I didn't gather the usual amount of broad beans that I'm used to, which is about 2kg each year.
One thing that broad beans will need is support. I usually use string and small canes to make supports for them.
Broad beans
These are such great beans to grow (with exception of last year) because they are usually tough plants that have never needed much assistance from me with growing. They can get chocolate spot, which is a fungus and I've seen this on my plants once. It didn't affect them too much, but if you spot this on your broad beans it usually means that air isn't circulating around the plants very well (this was the case for me as I planted my beans far too close to each other). Aphids can be another problem but I can say that I have never had to treat my broad beans for any problems.
In the case of last year, it may well have been other factors that caused a low yield for me as there were no signs of disease in the plants on my allotment and no signs of pests. It hasn't put me off though and so the varieties I'm growing this year are:
Aquadulce Claudia
Robin Hood
Express
The Sutton
Broad beans are my favourite bean simply because they store so well. Once I've picked them I'll remove the beans from the pods and freeze those that I don't intend to use straight away. This type of bean is very popular in Poland, where my family also grows them in large quantities. They are added to soups or simply boiled as an accompaniment to any main dish. I'm the only one in my household though, that enjoys them so much. I'll boil them and then add them to a frying pan with onions, garlic and diced pancetta. Alternatively, I'll roast them in the oven with salt and/or chilli flakes. Having said that my roasting technique needs improving!
Broad beans in detail
Now that you know a little about broad beans (or fava beans in the States), I want to write a bit more in depth about them. Beans are a member of the legume family. So what are legumes? They are plants that have nitrogen fixing bacteria in root nodules. This is a symbiotic relationship (meaning that the bacteria and the bean live together in harmony). The bacteria is called Rhizobia, which makes the legume plant one that is rich in protein (hence beans being a good source of protein). Once the plant dies, the nitrogen stored in the root nodules is released back in the soil and this is why experienced gardeners will tell you that legumes are great to grow to increase nutrients in soil.
To grow your own is easy: start off by sowing seeds in ideally in pots - small ones do - and you don't need to soak the beans overnight to do this. They should germinate in just a couple of weeks and will look like this as they start to grow:
Broad beans are fast growers, so make sure that once you see the seeds germinate that you prepare the soil beds that you will eventually move them to as soon as you can.
When you have prepared beds for the plants, broad beans depend on some support. I use a mix of canes and string, which doesn't take up too much time and isn't difficult to do, as you can see below:
One tip is that once you see pods starting to develop you should pinch out the tops. This is done for two reasons: the first is that you will be able to harvest your beans a bit earlier and secondly it's supposed to help with aphid control. As I don't like to use chemicals at all, that's why I pinch out the tops and I can honestly say that I rarely get severe aphid problems. The tops can be coked and eaten, or if you keep poultry it may be worth saving the tops for your chickens and ducks. Over the growing season keep your beans free from competitive weeds (a little gentle hoeing could help), water them but you'll find that you don't need to feed them (remember those Rhizobia bacteria - they will help give your beans the nutrients they need).
I hope that this article is useful - it's not too late to start sowing broad beans but you can always start late in the year like November to get more broad beans in succession for next year!
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