Broad beans, also known as broad beans, are not only popular in the Rhineland. They last for months when dried and are a delicious and nutritious addition to a variety of dishes. Find out here how you can successfully grow broad beans in your garden.
How to grow broad beans in the garden?
To grow broad beans, prepare a bed, sow them directly in 8cm deep rows 10cm apart in late February or advance them from late January. Maintain them by watering them regularly and providing support with ropes. Harvest and use plant residues as fertilizer.
Prepare the bed
Broad beans are weak eaters and need only a few nutrients. Incorporating compost or fertilizer into the soil only makes sense if the bed is very depleted. And even then, a little compost is enough. So just loosen the soil a little before planting or sowing.
Sow broad beans directly into the bed or prefer them?
If you would like to harvest broad beans earlier, you can harvest them at home from the end of January. This not only allows you to harvest earlier, but also ensures that only strong plants end up in the bed. However, bringing it forward means a lot of extra work. Instructions can be found here.
From the end of February, broad beans can be sown directly into the bed. To do this, draw rows about 40 to 60cm apart. The beans should be sown about 10cm apart. You can also sow more densely and prick out later. Broad beans are sown about 8cm deep into the soil, covered with soil and watered well. We have created step-by-step instructions for sowing broad beans for you here.
Giving the broad beans support
Sometimes hobby gardeners report that the tender stems of broad beans break off. To prevent this, you can stretch a rope for the young bean plants to lean on. If you have preferred the broad beans, make sure when planting that you plant the plants deep enough in the soil and mound them up a little.
Care for broad beans
Broad beans are relatively undemanding when it comes to care. You don't need any climbing aids or fertilizer. However, they should be watered regularly because they like it moist. A layer of mulch protects them from drying out.
The broad bean as fertilizer
After harvesting, cut off the plants above the ground and leave the roots in the ground. The nitrogen at the root ends serves as a nutrient for future generations of plants. You can also leave the plant remains as mulch on the bed over the winter.
