Where did my broad beans go and what to do now?

[jacob]

I've been to the plot for the first time in a couple of weeks and my broad beans have disappeared. They had survived the snow intact, and the soil is well drained (and still rather frosty), so I suspect the birds might have pecked them away? Sound familiar to anyone?

My greenhouse beans all got attacked by mould, so I need to resow. What would you do? Sow in pots inside, then send them out to the greenhouse (getting washed this weekend) until planting out mid-March?

[oldie]

I lost mine in the last few days. They were starting to flower. I have re-sown in loo roll inners to plant out as soon as sufficient growth. You can sow directly now but I usually start them off first so the mice don't dig the seeds out.

[Flummery]

We had a squirrel whipping them up at the allotments the year before last. I usually grow my early crop in pots until they are a reasonable size.

[Bramble_killer]

If it's not the birds, it'll be the squirrels or mice or slugs or something else looking for food. I have to start everything inside then harden off. Learnt the lesson the hard way last year when I lost over 50 peas I sowed direct.

[ann-the-nan]

where did my broad beans go and what to do now?

I thought that the demise of my BB's and peas was an isolated incident. Obviously it is not. As soon as this v.cold weather goes I shall pluck up courage and go into the wee plastic gh and fill a few loo roll cores and start 'em off that way.

[realfood]

In the North of the UK, it is best to start them off in loo rolls or pots, and transplant them to their final positions in March if the weather is mild. Even so, I cover mine with a cloche to bring them on fast.

[binley100]

I lost all mine as well . I'm guessing it was meeces they bit the stems off and left them and there was a neat little hole dug and the seed taken on every blimmin one. Those that I sowed in greenhouse in loo rolls to replace them all rotted . I've now resown and they're in GH under polyrhene cos I've nowhere else. It's now war.I WILLHAVE BORED BEANS!

Good luck with yours.

[Flummery]

The pigeons round here like to crimp the edges of the leaves too!

[stupot]

Cold killed the majority of mine unfortunately; got a new batch in rootrainers on the windowsill.

[Alison]

My autumn sown ones were planted a bit early last year and therefore rather too big for the winter. They got totally decimated in the Christmas snow so I've pretty much abandonned them. Was going to plant some crimson ones up there next month anyway so planted extra in root trainers on Friday to fill the gaps.