Broad beans how long to germinate

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Home How to Grow plants How to sow broad beans indoors. Get ahead and start your own crop of tasty broad beans, in just four simple steps. Step 1 Fill deep pots or modules with seed compost. Filling seed modules with compost. Germination usually takes around 10 days. Lay out as many sets of double rows as you need, but remember to allow at least 60cm 24" between each set to make it easier to access and harvest your crops.

If you prefer to start your broad bean plants in the greenhouse, they can be sown into module trays or small pots. Germination tends to be more reliable under greenhouse conditions and it's easier to control pests such as mice, slugs and snails. If the soil is frozen outdoors then sowing in the greenhouse is a far better option. Your broad beans can be planted out once the soil is warmer and the plants have developed a good root system.

Don't forget to 'harden them off' and acclimatise them to outdoor conditions prior to planting. Broad beans can easily be grown in containers. Dwarf varieties such as Broad Bean 'The Sutton' are ideal for growing on the patio. They have deep root systems so choose a tall container to accommodate them, and be sure to keep them well watered throughout the growing season.

Broad beans can be harvested and cooked as entire pods while they're still immature, at around 7. However, they're more usually harvested a little later, when the pods are well filled and the seed still soft. The scar on the edge of each bean should be green or white in colour. If it's black, the beans have passed their best and will be tough and chewy when eaten. Remove the pods from the stem using a sharp downward twist. Pulling without twisting can damage the stem and encourage disease.

Broad beans are members of the legume family which take nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots. Leafy plants like cabbages, brocolli and sprouts love nitrogen so will be an ideal crop to plant in the bean space the following year.

When cropping has finished and you have no more beans cut the tops down to ground level but leave the roots in the ground.

The roots will rot down and release their stored nitrogen into the soil. Broad beans are great for storing. You can dry or freeze the beans. To freeze, pick fresh, pod, place in a plastic bag and freeze. To dry, pick, pod and lay out the beans in a dry place. Leave beans to completely dry and store in an air tight container. These can be sown next year or re-hydrated for use in cooking.

All our videos are filmed over a full season so you can see the sowing, planting, crop care and harvesting stages. You can view our Broad Bean video by clicking the link or the Youtube icon. Our mailers are not the usual stream of special offers. We're passionate veg growers and pride ourselves at the quality of our content. Sugars 4g Sodium 25mg. Protein 8g Vitamin A IU. Folate mcg Vitamin C 3. Vitamin E 0mg Vitamin K 0mcg. Thiamin 0. Vitamin B6 0. Calcium 37mg Magnesium 33mg. Phosphorous mg Potassium mg.

Iron 1. Boil the broad beans in salted water until tender, drain and remove skin. Cut ham or bacon into small pieces and finely chop parsley, sage and onions, place into a saucepan with a little oil and fry until slightly browned then add tomato paste. After a few minutes add about ml water, stir and bring to the boil.

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