How to overwinter broad beans

Get to get started with this gardener’s favourite in October and November? We’ve got you covered with our handy guide on how to overwinter broad beans

Broad beans are one of the easiest crops you can grow, and October and November is the perfect time to get them out of the starting gates to get ahead of those spring sowings. Start now, and you can enjoy these delicious harvests in May.

How to over winter broad beans
1 Sow broad bean seeds in trays filled with a good-quality seed compost. This is recommended if you’ve got soggy, clay or frozen soil because if seeds are planted straight into a soggy or frozen garden, they will rot. Sowing under cover also protects the beans from mice, who love to nibble on them.
2 Module trays and root trainers can be expensive, so if you haven’t got some already, have a go at germinating seed in toilet roll inners. This is an inexpensive option and helps to reduce plastic waste, too. Give the compost a generous watering, but if you’re using toilet roll, make sure not to water the cardboard, or the tube will collapse before planting.
3 Using a dibber, make a hole in each module that is roughly twice the width of your thumb to accommodate these large beans. If you haven’t got a dibber, a finger or a thumb is fine – or even a pencil makes a handy tool.
4 Carefully drop a single bean on its edge into each hole. The hardiest, and by far the most reliable variety for autumn sowing, is ‘Aquadulce Claudia’. An old 19th-century variety, it is both reliable and produces long slender pods and greenish-white beans that taste delicious.
5 Sprinkle the seed with a thin layer of compost, until the bean is covered up. The seed should be about 5cm beneath the surface of the soil. Seeds that are planted too deep, or not deep enough, can rot or will fail to germinate. 6Water well. These plants need lots of water during their first stages of growth, before the seedlings go in the ground, when they begin to flower, and again two weeks later. After this, watering will only be needed during prolonged periods of drought, but keep the soil moist to keep the plants happy and healthy.
7 It’s useful to label trays with the type, variety name, and the date of sowing. Even though this season is not at all as busy as the spring, it will prevent a mix-up with other crops that can also be sown at this time of year, such as winter lettuces, the Oriental leaves and spring onions. 
8 Place your tray in a frost-free place. Remember that the plants don’t take to hot temperatures, so it’s best to avoid warm rooms, windowsills with radiators or heated greenhouses. Leave to overwinter, ready to be planted out in the spring.