Broad beans

[robertb]

I'm carrying on this year, with nine varieties planted out, rather late, but never mind. Last year's seed germinated very badly, probably because I had to harvest it rather too early. Something, I suspect a rabbit, was eating the pods. I got enough up, though, and added another six varieties. Some I tried and failed to grow last year, some are new.

[robertb]

This year is very different to last. Instead of cold and waterlogging, it's blazing hot and dry. A lot of varieties have given up in the heat, but Wizard, which also did well last year, and Crimson Flowered, which has done badly for me before, are doing particularly well.

[robertb]

I've currently got plants of all nine varieties hung up to dry; I couldn't leave them in the ground as I saw a rabbit on the plot the other day. I've been very struck by the variation within what I once regarded as a fairly boring vegetable. Not only are plants different sizes and shapes, but seeds can be red, brown/black, or various shades of green. Size varies from big modern beans to a rare Spanish variety, Baba Beltza, with 'black' pea-size seeds. This one seems comparable to the descriptions I've seen of ancient pre-Roman varieties, but I haven't grown it out yet. Flowers can be red or white, as well as the common white and black. Verieties range from prolific to fairly low-yielding, and some are more adaptable to different types of season than others. So far the most reliable and heaviest yielding seems to be Wizard, from Real Seeds.

I'm experimenting with Luz de Otono, which is day length neutral. Given a mild autumn, it's supposed to be possible to plant it in July, and get a crop in August. Offspring of all nine varieties will be planted next year, together with Luz de Otono and any other commercially available varieties I've acquired meanwhile. I want to grow out rarities separately - a simple matter of planting them a few weeks later than the main crop - before I add them to the mix.

[ilex]

I've seen photos of yellow flowers.

[robertb]

Were they really yellow, or a sort of sickly greenish-yellow colour like yellow snowdrops?