Broad beans – so simple to grow
by Diane - August 29th, 2012.Filed under: Thompson and Morgan.
Broad beans are so easy to grow. Just push them in the soil and they’ll come up! Plant in autumn and spring – the autumn planted ones will give you an early crop and the spring planted will produce after they’ve finished. This gives you a long season of broad beans!
Really good to eat with some bacon – and new potatoes – or stirred with some pesto! They are a great side veg too on a roast dinner!
You can make a pate with them and use them in soups and stews.
Broad Bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ – Part of the Alan Titchmarsh Collection – 1 packet (30 seeds) £2.99
A gardeners’ favourite, as this is the best broad bean for autumn sowing, overwintering plants on the plot outside, for an early harvest the following spring. Slender pods 23cm (9in) long are full of succulent white seeded flavoursome beans. Height: 90-100cm (36-40in).
Broad Bean ‘De Monica’ – 1 packet (40 seeds) £2.49
Be the first to harvest delicious broad beans! Ten years of breeding have produced De Monica, the earliest-maturing broad bean variety from a spring sowing. Ready to harvest at the same time as wintersown variety Aquadulce. A strong root system and an upright plant habit with 2-3 stems per plant produce high yields of 15cm (6in) pods with 4-5 large seeds per pod.
Broad Bean ‘Express’ – 1 packet (30 seeds) £2.99
This is the fastest maturing variety of any broad bean and an early spring sowing will out yield all others. Broad Bean Express produces up to 34 good pods per plant! It is also winter hardy, outstanding for deep freeze as it does not discolour and probably for the same reason is particularly tender and tasty. Broad Bean Express replaces Imperial Green Windsor over which it is a considerable improvement.
Broad Bean ‘The Sutton’ – 1 packet (30 seeds) £2.99
An excellent dwarf variety only 30cm (12in) high that produces lots of 13-15cm (5-6in) pods each bearing five small, but deliciously tender beans. Broad Bean The Sutton is very suitable for successional sowings commencing late autumn (under cloches) or late winter/early summer in the open. Ideal for the small garden. Suitable For Freezing
Broad Bean Collection – 3 packets – 1 of each variety (110 seeds in total) £5.99
Collection comprises one packet each of Aquadulce Claudia, Imperial Green Longpod and Express.Aquadulce ClaudiaThis variety is universally recognised as being best for an autumn sowing. It establishes itself very quickly and will produce a very early crop. It is white seeded and the pods are up to 15-18in long.Imperial Green Longpod15-inch+ pods with up to nine large beans. Succulent, tasty and suitable for freezing. (Green Seeded)ExpressThis is the fastest maturing variety of any broad bean and an early spring sowing will out yield all others. Up to 34 good pods per plant! It is also winter hardy, outstanding for deep freeze as it does not discolour and probably for the same reason is particularly tender and tasty. It replaces Imperial Green Windsor over which it is a considerable improvement.