Late April and the broad beans are in full flower. In fact they are even starting to set, so provided the baby beans don't get too badly attacked by a cat pretending to be a Raptor from Jurassic Park, it shouldn't be too long before some are ready to eat.
Conditions are ideal currently for swelling the pods - not too hot and nice and damp (brilliant for growing lawns but other things are suffering). While the cats are doing their best to keep bees away from the beans, as they are only outdoors for a couple of hours a day, it is not too much of a problem.
The potential problem with broad beans, and also why we sow so early, are black fly. We don't spray - partly due to vague organic principles, but mainly due to feeding the chickens with any garden scraps that are doing the rounds, particularly if there is a chance of a bit of extra protein. Instead, once the beans start to set, we pinch out the growing tips of the plants. It is recommended to do this after the fourth group of flowers, we do it where it feels right. The chickens get the growing tips and regard them as a treat, and as there are no new succulent growing tips, the ants that farm the black fly aren't that interested. Well, it works for us anyway!
Broad bean recipes to follow once we start harvesting!
See these entries to compare the growth - November and February.
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