Grow Your Own Magazine

Last year I block planted several crops with great sucess. Now I need to know if anyone has block planted Broad Beans and if so what spacing is they use. The plants are ready to go in next week ,weather permitting. I am going to protect them from the wind with fleece.

Looking forward to replies.

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

I did broadies last year in a 4' wide bed and planted them 8" between rows and plants. It worked very well and we had a massive crop.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Thanks PW I will give it a whirl. Just love Broadies

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

I block plant nearly everything, to save space and shade out the weeds. The only thing with tall plants is making sure you can still reach into the middle of the block to pick the crop. Like, a 6 foot wide block would be a bit silly (me, was that me? )

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

As a matter of interest, how are the plants supported in a block?

Depends on the variety - this year I'm growing The Sutton which is dwarf. Last year had plants of Bunyard's Exhibition taller than me - and I'm 5'9". I supported these by putting a tall cane at each corner of the block and tying string around the whole block. I did it at 3 heights so they kept each other together really. Mine were spaced pretty much like PW's.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I think I'll try that too then!

My broadies went a bit beserk last year and even though I started with a seies of double rows across a 4 foot bed supported individually with canes and string, in the end I had to resort to knocking in stout posts on each corner and every 4 foot along bed and wrapping the whole lot with layer upon layer of rope, in the middle of a gale!
Think I'll ditch the rows this year and just block plant the whole lot!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

You could knock in some 2x1 roofing lathes and stretch the plastic pea&bean netting over it so it's horizontal and let the plants grow thru it.

That's how I support my Dahlia's and lot safer than loads of canes at eye poking height

Pauline Pears book on growing on a bed system gives you spacings for various plants and what sort of planting layout to use.

Amazon.co.uk: Growing Fruit and Vegetables on a Bed System the Organic Way: Pauline Pears: Books

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

We did similar too, but they got chocolate spot, I thought it might be down to the spacing, ours were 6" apart?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

No spot, no blackfly - quite windy here though - maybe that's why mine blow over rather than cop for a disease?

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Last year for the first time I tried growing first early new potatoes and broad beans together in a "chequerboard" pattern (alternate potato plant and bean plant) in a raised 4foot by 10 foot bed. Everything was planted approximately 8 inches apart. This was an experiment recommended to me by a friend who always does this, and I found it to be very successful. You do need to water quite copiously though, but last summer there wasn't a problem. I am going to do the same again this year, as they both cropped well.