Similar to peas the pods round out,here’s a photo from years ago,with the long broad beans next to the small peas to show size,try the biggest roundest pods,the longer you leave them the bigger the bean gets,if picked too early they’ll just be smaller,I like the smaller/medium size compared to the full sized bean
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I always have trouble holding myself back from picking broadies when I know it's too early. Every year I get the urge to 'just try a pod or two' when they look like the ones in your pic CG but the beans inside are always too small (although fabulous flavour). I'm adamant that this year I will wait just a bit longer for them to look like little hourglasses side-on & get decent sized beans from the start.Location: SE Wales about 1250ft up
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They might be little but I'm sure they'll be tasty If you can restrain yourself for a week or so longer for your next pick there won't be extra beans but you'll be surprised how much bigger they can grow in a short time. xLocation: SE Wales about 1250ft up
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Blackfly causing the curled tips but I’ve had this before it’s chocolate spot,quite common I found a link -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/broad...chocolate-spotLocation : Essex
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Originally posted by Jungle Jane View PostBlackfly causing the curled tips but I’ve had this before it’s chocolate spot,quite common I found a link -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/broad...chocolate-spotNorthern England.
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So my broad beans and peas are starting to finish , still some left though
Today I chopped off some stems that had nothing left to harvest and some that had been snapped in the winds (need a better system next yr)
Wondering if I pull the plants out once all done or do I leave the roots in and chop the rest off? Something in my mind says I've seen you leave the roots in.Northern England.
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Originally posted by Containergardener View PostSo my broad beans and peas are starting to finish , still some left though
Today I chopped off some stems that had nothing left to harvest and some that had been snapped in the winds (need a better system next yr)
Wondering if I pull the plants out once all done or do I leave the roots in and chop the rest off? Something in my mind says I've seen you leave the roots in.Last edited by Penellype; 13-08-2024, 08:40 AM.A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy
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Originally posted by Penellype View Post
The idea of leaving the roots in is that the nodules on the roots of peas and beans contain nitrogen fixing bacteria and therefore the roots will help to fertilize the soil.
The roots do indeed obviously contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but as you also say they have a symbiotic relationship with the plant, and therefore when they stop receiving sugars from the plant, they stop doing their end of the work. The roots themselves also contain very little nitrogen.
The lion's share of all the nitrogen those bacteria fixed went into the leaves and seeds of the plant, so if you want to use a legume (any legume) to improve soil nitrogen then you need to cut up and dig in the entire plant (as you would with a green manure. Just leaving the roots in makes no measurable difference.
Indeed, with broad beans, I would probably recommend against leaving the roots in the ground, as they are large and tough, and take quite a while to rot.
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