Broad bean trials: results from 2010

This was the broad bean patch a couple of weeks ago. I planted four varieties of broad beans this year. I planted two patches of Super Aquadulce in the autumn, one on the allotment and one in the garden at home. The allotment beans were comprehensively nibbled by rabbits or deer when they sprouted, so only a few survived. In the spring I planted Sutton Dwarf beans (in the left hand bed in the photo above) and in my main broad bean bed, one row each of, from left to right, Super Aquadulce, Witkiem Manita and Bunyards Exhibition varieties of broad bean. I wanted to see how each dealt with the conditions of the allotment.

I got Super Aquadulce beans from the autumn-sown seeds as early as May. I was delighted with that. The rest of the beans started to be ready in (I think?) June, with the Witkiem Manita being the first to be of a useable size. There was a notable difference in the size of the pods, as well: Super Aquadulce had a smaller pod than the other two standard varieties, with Witkiem Manita having very thick pods and large meaty beans and Bunyards Exhibition having long pods with more beans. Sutton dwarf were of course, the smallest of all. All varieties were very tasty and produced on average 6-8 pods per plant, which isn't bad for unfertilised soil and a very dry spring.

Super aquadulce in the foreground, Witkiem Manita behind.

One thing that I noticed was that as the long, dry summer went on, some of the taller bean plants lodged. I'm not sure whether that was due to the plant falling down because of lack of water or whether they were trampled by a dog. The super aquadulce were the first to go down, followed by the Witkiem Manita. Bunyards Exhibition were the longest lasting of the standard varieties, with Sutton dwarf being the longest-standing of the lot. In the image below, the dwarf varieties are still standing, but just to the right of the shot the taller plants have been slashed and laid on the bed to be turned in. I've left the roots in the ground to rot.
When I harvested, I selected a few pods that were ready when they were still young, and picked just enough for a meal when I fancied them. Then I got 3 kg of pods from the 25-each plants of Super aquadulce and Witkiem Manita plants (with perhaps a few of the Bunyard Exhibition thrown in) and another 2.5 kg of pods from the Bunyards Exhibition and Sutton Dwarf. In all, I'd say I got 6.5 kg of pods from 120 plants. 3 kg of those are now in the freezer. We love broad beans, so I plant to plant even more next year.

This year we've had fresh broad beans from mid-May to mid-July. I'd like to achieve that again next year, but splitting the varieties. Reading I've done suggests that Sutton dwarf are weather-hardy and so like Super aquadulce, they're suitable for autumn planting for an early summer harvest. I'll plant some of them this autumn as they're fabulous for early summer recipes calling for small, tender, shelled broad beans. My crop rotation calls for this year's onion bed in a friend's back yard to become a bean bed next year, so I'll fill that with autumn-sown broad beans when the onions come out, and plant only Witkiem Manita and Bunyards Exhibition in the spring, as I think they make a better showing than the other two varieties from a spring sowing.