La Puce wrote:
: On 30 Jan, 11:04, "Des Higgins" wrote:
:: Someone (Robert) said recently that you could sow broad beans now?
:: Can you really do that right now? Outdoors? In cold soil? Or
:: start them in greenhouse?
:
: A bit early for me (Lancashire) but would concider it in mid/end
: February indeed. I have never grown my broad beans in greenhouse
: because I would find them 'forced' and they wouldn't like being
: transplanted. I've grown them for years to great success straight
: sowed in ground end Feb - or once the ground is warm (and not in the
: autumn when you could also sow them but I find that they rot here as
: it's very wet - I've forgotten where you are). You could cover the
: area where you want to sow to warm up the soil. I do this for my peas
: if we're having lots of constant ground frost.
:
: ps. Just returned from home (Bordeaux). All our mimosas, albizias etc.
: covered in snow. We've lost lots of branches too heavy under the
: weight of the frozen snow. There's a snowman/woman in every front
: garden, frightening sight when you think the snow fell last tuesday!
: Yesterday was -3C in the middle of the day. I was frozen! This is the
: second time in my life time I've seen my home town like this. We all
: blame El Nino ...

Down here we can usually sow broad beans in winter. I sowed some just before
Christmas and they are just coming through. A lady I know sowed some more
last week. They take longer to germinate, about 5 weeks I would say, but
don't seem to rot off. My next (third lot) will be sown as soon as the
ground starts warming up in March or April and then I get a good length of
time with my favourite crop. They will be Witkiem Manita

www.rraa.moonfruit.com