How much space in m2 does that many plants take up?
Do they keep growing and producing beans all the time like haricot vert and runner beans? I ask this because I am growing Borlotti beans and they just flowered, produced pods then stopped flowering/growing any more whilst the pods were ripening. I've now harvested most of the pods but the plants look like they are dying. 6 plants have produced only enough for about 5 x a side veg for 2 people so are a complete waste of space I reckon. Is this how broad beans grow, because I've bought some seed for next year but don't want to grow something that is so unproductive in the space it is allotted.
We will have to eat that many! Been eating Broad Bean pasties for the last 3 days. Story is that last year I planted 184 seeds outside and the mice snaffled 181. The replanted crop did poorly. This year I planted 510 or so in paper pots in the greenhouse and planted them out as and when they looked big enough. 510 to me 0 to the mice. Additionally I feel the crop was exceptional.
I planted the beans in 3 patches. Some block planted about 10 inches apart and some in rows. The areas were about 2@ 5m x 4m & 1@ 10m x 1m Does that work out at 50 sq mtrs.
The beans do develop in stages with the lower pods ready to pick first so theoretically you could pick them as they are ready but in practice they all blew over in 60 mph winds and were in a hopeless mess so as you were trying to get among them to pick the ones that were ready you were damaging the plants. I did pick a few buckets as they were ready but mainly just took a management decision that the time was right and picked the lot wasting some of the pods that had not developed. In total we picked 46 buckets full and have frozen about 75 pounds.
Wow that's quite a lot of space and a huge amount of beans! I think that is how the borlottis grow. Still it is good to try different things even if you don't get much from a small amount of plants - the french and runner beans more than make up for it. I do tend to space things out quite a lot for ease of harvesting so I know I could fit more in each row.
I freeze a couple of bags of broad beans but dry the majority on the plants. The dried ones usually get turned into a broad bean and potato puree (pulpa di fave) which tastes great and is pretty versatile - for dips, mixed with greens, in sarnies, fried into patties bubble and squeak style.
Broad bean hummous. Just the same as regular hummous, with broad beans instead of chick peas. Add a touch of mint and dill (not too much, just a hint). Delicious.
and I was very pleased with my big handful of runner beans grown on the balcony
one day, I'll have a house with a proper garden and I'll be able to sit outside and shell beans... just like you!
(thanks)
