How many broad beans

Keep weeds at bay and tie-in bunches of plants as they start to put on height. I put a cane at each corner of a bunch of plants and tie a few layers of garden twine around them for extra support.

Alternatively you can be creative with a bunch of bamboo canes or something similar and stick loads of them amongst your beans which can then simply lean against them. When the first beans appear at the base of your plants its time to pinch out the juicy tips.

This is done to reduce the chance of black bean aphid attack and to stimulate strong growth with plenty of pods. Simply pinch the stem below the top two leaves so that it breaks neatly off. These tips can be eaten raw in salads or steamed like spinach.

The size your beans are when you pick them is really a matter of taste. To eat the pod and beans inside pick at around finger size. Let the pods get a little bit bigger and then pop the pod to eat juicy young beans. If you are going to cook your beans for dips, salads etc. Best not to let your pods get too large or the juicy sweetness of the beans will be replaced by a flat starchy flavour.

Pods get to 20cm long. And as well as tasting good they enrich the soil with nitrogen, and handle the toughest frosts so can be planted now in all areas of Australia. Linda has the low-down. Photo - photolibrary. Position Ideally, choose an open, sunny position for planting. Growing guide From March to May, sow broad beans directly into the soil. Growth While young, broad beans are self-supporting, but as they get taller they will get very top-heavy with pods. Pests and diseases Broad beans are very easy crops to grow and are largely untroubled by pests and diseases.

Harvest constantly to ensure a continuous crop. Broad Bean varieties Coles Dwarf Prolific produces heavy crops on 1m-high plants. Early Longpod to 1. Weed thoroughly, then fork in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure, and water well. In open ground, sow in single rows 45cm 18in apart or double rows 23cm 9in apart with 60cm 2ft between each double row.

In raised beds, where space is not needed to walk between rows for picking, all rows can be spaced 23cm 9in apart. It is also worth sowing a few extra seeds at the end of the rows to produce extra plants that can be lifted and moved to fill any gaps left by seeds that fail to germinate. Dwarf varieties can also be sown in large containers filled with multi-purpose or loam-based compost and positioned in a sunny, sheltered spot.

Unless rainfall has been high, soak plants well at the start of flowering and again two weeks later. Regular watering may be needed on light, free-draining soil.

Dwarf plants in containers require regular watering throughout the growing season, as they dry out more quickly than plants in the ground. Run string around the stakes at 30cm 1ft intervals from the ground. Smaller cultivars usually support each other, especially when planted in double rows. These tips are delicious steamed or stir-fried. Several pests, diseases and disorders can affect broad beans, but these robust plants are rarely severely damaged and usually still produce a good crop. Trapping can be effective for mice in a garden situation, although voles can be harder to control.

Break-back traps of the type used against house mice can be effective when set in places where damage is occurring. Pieces of carrot or dessert apple are effective baits for voles, and peanut butter for mice. When using traps or baits out of doors, they must be placed under covers to reduce the risk of other animals interfering with them. Birds are particularly vulnerable to accidental trapping.

In the case of broad beans, pinch out infested tips. Direct sown crops can be covered with fleece during germination to prevent mice getting to them.

Blackfly - Aphids, particularly Blackfly, are a common problem when growing broad beans. They often attack the young growing tips. These can be pinched out and the plants sprayed with a suitable insecticide. Companion planting the strong smelling herb, summer savory, can also help repel black bean aphids.

Chocolate Spot - This disease is very distinctive and particularly prevalent during wet summers. Dark reddish or chocolate brown spots appear on the foliage and stems - in severe cases causing plants to die. Infected plants should be removed and destroyed. To find out how to grow other bean varieties in your outdoor space head over to our pea and bean hub page.

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