UK crop guide
Broad beans are the hardy bean. They give you a crop before French and runner beans have started, and they will germinate in cool soil that would rot a runner bean seed.
The RHS says the usual outdoor sowings are March, April and early May. October, November or February sowings are possible in milder or very sheltered gardens, with a hardy variety and fleece over the young plants in a cold snap. Guy Barter notes that sowings after mid-April crop less and less, and that by June they are not worth sowing.
Where autumn sowing would sit in wet, windy soil, sow a quick variety in pots indoors in February. Barter notes there is little difference in timing between those and an autumn sowing. Gardeners' World suggests modules or small pots, about 5cm deep, in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame. Mice like the seed, so cover the pots.
Sow with the scar facing down, 5 to 7.5cm deep and 15 to 23cm apart. Single rows are 45cm apart. A double row can be 23cm apart, with 60cm before the next pair. Sow a few spares at the end of the row to fill gaps.
For autumn and February sowings, choose a hardy variety. Aquadulce is the one Barter names for November. Any leftover seed of that variety can also be sown in spring. It does not need winter cold in order to flower. Protect seedlings with a cloche or fleece if a hard frost is forecast.
Dwarf varieties can go in a container at least 40cm wide, sown 5cm deep and 15cm apart.
Pick while the beans are small. They are sweeter then. The scar where the bean joins the pod should still be white or green. A black scar means the bean is turning tough. Very young pods, about 5cm long, can be eaten whole.
A mild autumn sowing can be ready in May. Spring sowings follow through the summer. When the plants are finished, compost the tops and leave the roots, as with other beans, so the nitrogen stays in the bed.
Broad beans almost always pick up blackfly on the soft tips. Pinching the tips out is often suggested as a preventative. Barter says that, in practice, it does not stop the infestation. Brush or wash colonies off, and keep the plants growing. Autumn and very early sowings are often past the soft-tip stage before the main aphid wave.
Mice dig up the seed, especially from autumn and winter sowings and from pots. Cover the row or the seed tray until the plants are up.
Plants sown after mid-April set fewer pods. A June sowing is late enough that the RHS chief horticulturist says it is not worth it. Use that ground for French or runner beans instead.
Kit for this crop, based on the method above.
For pots, modules and containers once seedlings need more body.
For crops started under cover. Deep pots suit peas, beans and sweetcorn.
For early sowings and for covering tender plants if a late frost is forecast.
Useful for warming a row before you sow, and for protecting early carrots and salads.
Variety and sowing date, so succession sowings do not get mixed up.
Birds pull up new garlic and onion sets, and they take strawberries and sweetcorn.
Yes, in a mild region or a very sheltered, well-drained spot. Use a hardy variety such as Aquadulce and cover the young plants in a cold spell. Elsewhere, a February sowing in pots is the safer early crop.
You can, once the plants are flowering well, and the tips are good to cook. It is not a reliable way to prevent blackfly. RHS chief horticulturist Guy Barter says the usual pinching advice does not stop an infestation in practice.