Baz wrote:
Well, I have sown winter pansies and they are looking good I think, just
the 2 leaves at the moment but time will tell.
Violas are something to plant if you like to see colour in the garden
during winter. This advice is sort of first and second hand because my next
door neighbour always has these flowering during winter, and this year I
will do the same.

I'll see if I have any of these. Pretty sure I have packets of both.
Large-headed winter pansies and black violas, iirc. Problem of course,
being I have no idea how old some of these packets are, I just want to
get them planted and out of the way!

My advice on broad beans and peas is to motivate yourself and get a
smallish row of each in. I put my peas in as thickly as possible, no silly
2" gaps, lay them in thickly, almost touching. Same with broad beans but
one seed per inch, forget the instructions on the packet. Then in Feb.
March, April and May get more into the ground. Keep plenty of seed from
your crop for next year.

*nod* We've had 3 lots of beans this year, think the first were over-
wintered, the second I sowed under the disasterous french/runner beans,
and the third are back on the original over-wintering spot, just to keep
it busy. The first came and went, the second and third are both cropping
at the same time, now!

The pea I swear by is Hurst Greenshaft, very nice and sweet if podded early
and expect 9 peas per pod! IME/O the best by far. But it is classified as
maincrop which I think is blx.
The broad bean I swear by is Bunyards Exhibition, it has on average 6 beans
per pod and that is counting the 10 on a few and 2 in some . These plants
grow to about 6' and carry lots of pods. I never counted the pods.

I cant' remember what the broad beans I have are. I did have Bunyards at
one point, but I also had a bag or two from the potato day last year, and
they are still going strong, or at least, the saved ones are. I don't
think they were named, they were just white-flowered and crimson-flowered.
THe crimson-flowered ones are so pretty! They produce a much tougher bean
which keeps its shape better if you accidentally overcook!

We are terrible with peas. We grow loads every year, or at least, Nick
plants loads and takes up greenhouse space with them, then fails to make
a patch to put them in until they are straggley, then he never goes to
pick them, and I tend not to want to interfere with them cos they're his,
and we end up only getting half a dozen! Also, he won't keep the varieties
separate properly, despite me asking and asking, and we end up not knowing
which are mange tout!

Grumble over. :-/
Thanks.