Kem Ormond’s vegetable garden: Broad beans - how to grow, support and harvest

Childhood memories may give broad beans a bad rap for some people. Photo / 123rf

Kem Ormond is a features writer for The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s writing about the virtues of the broad bean.

Last time I wrote about the humble broad bean, it was because it was the meal of choice selected by the newly crowned King Charles.

It was a quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of spinach, broad beans, and fresh tarragon.

It was suggested to “eat hot or cold with a green salad and freshly dug new potatoes boiled to perfection”.

Well, unfortunately, that quiche did nothing to improve the broad bean’s ratings, and it is still not the most popular vegetable to grow.

But it deserves to be written about.

I was never fussed on broad beans as a child, and I can well imagine that I was not the only one.

My mother used to cook them till they turned grey ... they were not nice.

How times have changed.

Broad beans can now be found smashed on top of sourdough toast at trendy cafes. Or, with the outer shell removed, the bright green succulent beans are a welcome addition to a fresh green salad.

They are also great in pasta, added to a green soup or made into a dip.

You need to use them the day they’re picked to get maximum enjoyment.

Broad beans were one of the first vegetables I learnt to grow, and that was because they grew when there was not much else in the vegetable garden, and I always had success with them.

Also worth remembering: as legumes, they fix nitrogen in the soil, which makes chop‑and‑drop an ideal way to recycle nutrients.

When to plant broad beans

It is said you should plant broad beans in the late autumn or early spring.

These are tough little beans that withstand the coldest of weather.

For regions with mild winters, a late autumn planting can yield an early spring harvest, ensuring your garden remains productive across seasons.

If you do not wish to plant from seed, check out your local nursery for seedlings.

They are always pretty hardy and seem to do well once in the ground.

Growing broad beans

Plant in double rows about 10-15cm apart, in well-composted soil.

Broad beans grow upright; they do not cling on with tendrils, and they do not climb like runner beans.

As they get taller, they do need some sort of support, especially if the area they are growing in tends to get windy.

Everyone seems to have their own method of keeping them upright.

Mine is a little rough and ready, but it works fine.

I use sturdy canes at each corner of my double row, then twine halfway up the cane, and then another at the top.

This seems to keep them secure, and the two rows lean against each other, keeping them upright, while secured by the twine fence.

Harvesting broad beans

When the pods feel and look full, and the seeds are outlined through the skin, then it is time to harvest.

Do not let the pods get too big, as that is when the vision of what you ate as a child will come rushing back.

Begin picking your broad beans from the bottom of the stalk, as these mature first.

You need to harvest your broad bean plants regularly to promote further flowering and growth.

Use one hand to steady the stem and the other to gently twist off the pod, avoiding plant damage.

Choosing your seed

Cold-resistant Coles Prolific is better suited for harsher areas, whereas the large, succulent pods of superaguadulce, renowned for their large 25cm pods, might tempt you.

If you have limited space, check out dwarf varieties.

Also, remember the variety Hughey Crimson or Red Hughey, well worth checking out for its vibrant crimson flowers.

Happy growing, and please give broad beans a second chance.