Tag Archives: broad beans

What to Grow in February

If you’re anything like me, by the end of January you can’t wait to start the growing season off again. Well this post will give you all the information you need to get srated as soon as the calendar turns. So let’s have a look at what to grow in February. What to Grow in February If you have the luxury of a greenhouse, even a unheated greenhouse, there’s a wide range of plants you can grow in February. If you don’t have a greenhouse then your options are slightly more limited but don’t despair. There are many ways to… → Read More

10 Vegetables To Grow In September

Just because Summer is officially over, it doesn’t mean that’s the end of the growing season. There’s still time to sow and harvest a few crops and it’s a good time to start preparing for next season. So here’s 10 vegetables to grow in September. 10 Vegetables To Grow In September The 1st of September officially marks the start of Autumn, a time when things start winding down. But not for us gardeners, it’s time for us to get in a few late crops for Winter harvest and to start on next Springs crops as well. Radish September is the… → Read More

Get Rid of Blackfly on Broad Beans for Good!

The scourge of the broad bean grower, blackfly are not just unsightly. They weaken plants and leave them susceptible to diseases and infections. The best way to get rid of blackfly on broad beans for good is not as difficult as it sounds. What Are Blackflies? The blackfly that attacks your broad beans is a member of the aphid family. They survive by sucking the sap from your plants, this is the lifeblood of your broad bean plants (and any other plants). Because this sap is mainly sugar the blackfly have to consume much more than they can actually eat,… → Read More

How to freeze broad beans without blanching

So you’ve grown enough broad beans to last you throughout the rest of the year, but you don’t want to spend the time blanching them before freezing. And I get it, I mean – who really wants all the hassle and a house full of steam? You want a quick and easy way to freeze broad beans without spending almost an hour blanching them. And here’s how you do it… How to freeze broad beans without blanching First and most important, remove the broad beans from their pods. They should be clean as they have been completely encased in the… → Read More

Growing Plants For Pollinators And Why It’s Important

In this post, I explore the reasons for growing plants for pollinators and why it’s important for your garden or vegetable plot. It is also important for the conservation of wildlife. There are reports that bees are on the decline worldwide, so any help we as growers can offer must be a good thing. Growing Plants For Pollinators And Why It’s Important According to the Bumble bee conservation trust, two species of bumble bee have become extinct in the UK since the start of the twentieth century. With another two species of bee in danger of imminent extinction. Theories as… → Read More

Don’t Waste Good Food

We live in a throw away society now days, everything from cars to kitchen appliances are made to be replaced not repaired anymore. Well one place where we can all be greener and more frugal is with our vegetables. My advice is don’t waste good food. Don’t Waste Good Food There are plenty of people who don’t realise just how much food they are wasting. We learn certain processes throughout the course of our lives, and most never question them. Well I’m going to challenge your beliefs and hopefully get you to try some different approaches to using vegetables. Use… → Read More

How To Freeze Broad Beans

Just got back from the allotment with two full buckets of Broad Beans. Obviously I won’t use that many Broad Beans at once so I need to store them, so I thought I’d share with you how to freeze Broad Beans. How To Freeze Broad Beans There are many different schools of thought and techniques for keeping Broad beans,from drying them bottling them but for me the most convenient way is to freeze them. This leads us to our first choice, whether to blanche them or not. Blanching is the term used to describe the process of par-boiling the Beans… → Read More

Poached Egg Plant Companion Planting

Companion Planting with Poached Egg Plants

There has been a trend recently of people wanting to fight insect infestations by organic/natural methods with the emphasis on companion planting and using Poached Egg Plants in particular. The problem with that as far as I can see is that there doesn’t seem to be much relevant information out there so I thought it was about time to dedicate a post on the subject. What Is A Poached Egg Plant The Poached Egg Plant (Latin name Limnanthes Douglasii) is an annual plant with open flowers that are white around the outside with a yellow middle that resembles a poached… → Read More

Container veg growing

Most vegetables can be grown in containers. The bigger the container the better, I had best results with old flower buckets (morrisons sell them eight for a pound) fill with a good quality compost and feed and water regularly as pots and containers dry out quickly in dry spells. I have grown:- carrots calabrese cauliflower courgettes spring onions broad beans runner beans dwarf beans tomatoes turnips radishes potatoes peas with varied results. I found that courgettes grow well if the container is big enough, other squashes however, didn’t do so well I suspect that they need more space. I have also grown potatoes… → Read More

How to grow broad beans

Broad beans

Broad beans are the first bean to be harvested each year. To achieve this they have to be planted earlier than other beans. There are some varieties that can be over wintered (sown in autumn and left to grow through the winter) these include Aquadulce Claudia and the Sutton which is a dwarf variety and can be grown in a pot. Over wintering always feels to me like I’m somehow cheating nature, as there aren’t many things that grow through our cold wet winters. So it feels good to get an early crop on the go. Broad beans, like all… → Read More