- Broad Beans are ready to pick from early sowings in March. These flowers on the later sowing of Witkiem Manita variety will soon be podding up and be ready to pick.
- Runner Beans are now 4 -5 feet up the support canes and the lower flower trusses are in bloom. Roll on the first picking which I hope to collect whilst they are small and tender. This summer I have not yet needed to water the ‘Runners’ but if we have a dry August it will be water that keeps them cropping.
- French Beans take up very little space and my round podded variety were planted in a sheltered spot in the garden when early flowers had finished. I will be interested to see what size crop I get as they were a bit of after thought with the seeds planted at the end of June.
I will leave the roots in the ground when the harvest is complete as it fixes nitrogen into the soil via the little white root nodules.With no sign of black fly I have not eeded to pinch out the top of the broad bean plants.
your blog is fantastically informative – I’ll know where to come now to find simple, comprehensive answers to some of my questions and gardening puzzles. I blog about life on my allotment in Gloucester and will add you to my blogroll so other people can find you too
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thanks heaps, Nic