Wally wrote:


Not much help for this year, but the older gentlemen on the allotments
around mine have claimed that broad beans planted in the autumn and
overwintered are more resistant to blackfly than spring-planted ones.


That is interesting Carol, if planted in the autumn will they stand up to
the winter weather or do they have to be protected in some way ??

I think it depends both on what part of the country you're in and how
severe the weather is - I suspect it's more of a gamble the further
north you go.

I'm in the Midlands, near Derby and mine weren't protected at all, as
far as I know, but I only took the allotment over in January. It wasn't
a particularly harsh winter here at all.

My copy of _The Vegetable Expert_ says that the best varieties for
overwintering are "Aquadulce" and "The Sutton", but I've had the book
for over fifteen years now, so there may well be more recently
developed varieties that are better.

--
Carol
"The glassblower's cat is bompstable"
- Dorothy L. Sayers, _Clouds of Witness_