The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

Bunyards Exhibition Broad Beans are a gardners favourite and have earned the RHS Perfect for Pollinators mark.

This means that it’s a great plant for encouraging bees and other pollinators.

Described as versatile and resilient plants that produces a crop that’s ideal for freezing.  Broad beans are a great source of vitamin B1 and fibre.

I’m trying to get a head start on the some of the crops this year and I’ve read that so long as you have a greenhouse or a cold frame you can sow some of your plants indoors in the hope of an early May harvest.

I’ve sown Bunyards Exhibition beans two to a pot so that I can maximise the amount of space that I have available.

When they germinate, I’ll separate the seedlings into their own individual pots before planting out.  

I’ve buried them around 2cm deep in multi-purpose compost.

I’ve sown them with their eyes pointing upwards, so that when they germinate they’ll be growing in the right direction.

Bunyards Exhibition update 16/01/2016

After returning to the plot a week later, I was greeted with seeded pots that had been dug up by the mice.

Mice love eating seeds, especially beans and peas.

I couldn’t believe my luck – it was gutting to witness and I ended up resowing them.

I hope you learn from my mistakes and are sure to keep your seedlings away from mice (or lay a deterrent) to ensure your beans germinate without hindrance.