Planting broad beans

For the past few years we have had problems with mice or rats digging up and eating the broad beans that we have direct sowed into the market garden, so this year for the first time we are raising our plants in the propagation polytunnel before transplanting them into the field when they are ready. This also gives them a head start against weeds.

Some of our broad bean plants hardening off outside in December.

Jeremy planting the first of the beans on Tuesday17th January.

Maria and Andy getting the last of about 500 plants into the ground on Friday 20th.

We have planted our broad beans into ground from which we've laready harvested leeks this winter. After the leeks we covered the ground with mipex membrane for 2 months, which killed most of the weeds, just needing a few hours top remove the surviving plantain, before planting the beans straight in without any further working of the soil. The leeks had had a top dressing of municipal compost as a mulch, which will also feed the beans. We aim to repeat this process a further two times this spring.