Gareth Carter: Snap to it - plant some broad beans this winter

Sugar snap peas are a cool season crop as they are prone to mildew in the warmer months.

Wow, what a good, decent cold snap this past week.

Cold temperatures during the winter are highly beneficial to our gardens as they help kill off insect pests which proliferate during the warmer months. When we have had milder winters in the past few years, the baseline number of insects surviving has been higher. This has resulted in greater insect numbers around during the past few summers.

How is your vegetable garden going?

I’ve been out in mine lately harvesting broccoli, lettuce and spinach. My sugar snap peas, which are growing in pots where I can protect them from the birds, have just started producing their first pods. These are delicious and it is such a great way to grow them. You could sow some of your own now and will be harvesting them in late spring. Peas really are a cool season crop as they are prone to mildew in the warmer months.

Broccoli plants growing in the garden are the gift that keeps on giving. If you haven’t had a go at growing broccoli, it is great value. The initial head comes ready but, once harvested, if the plant is left to continue growing many more fresh broccoli shoots are produced. I have had plants continue producing shoots for six months. Additional feeding with Ican Organic Vegetable Food is highly beneficial in encouraging this.

The main potato planting season is under way, with a great range of seed potatoes in the garden centre. Those purchased now should be placed in a warm spot indoors to grow sprouts for a few weeks then planted out in the garden around early to mid-August. Keep covering the leaves (mounding) until the danger of frost is past. These spuds should be ready for harvest from mid-November.

A vegetable seed to plant now is broad beans. During June, July and August, when most of the garden is in hibernation mode, broad beans suddenly become a top seller on the seed stand or as punnets of six in the garden centre.

Broad beans are a vegetable that seems to be either a favourite to be savoured or on the disdain list, conjuring some horror from childhood. Like all good vegetables, broad beans are full of nutrients and goodness including potassium, iron, vitamins A and C and are a good source of fibre and protein. Broad beans are a good plant to grow with children as the seeds are large and easy to handle. It also seems that kids are keener to eat vegetables they have helped to grow.

Broad beans are a cool season crop, they are frost tolerant and will germinate in temperatures as low as 2C. The seed can be sown from late autumn right through the winter months. They don’t like to grow in the heat of summer. They are an easy crop to grow and will provide a good food supply at a time during spring when options are often limited and vegetables expensive to buy from the store. A general guide is to plant 12 plants for each person who will be eating them.

A sunny site is preferable although broad beans will tolerate some shade. Running rows north to south in the garden will ensure more even light distribution and that no plants are disadvantaged. Some prefer to make their planting in blocks (eg six plants by six plants); in this case, make your plantings on the southernmost edge of the garden so, as they grow tall, they will not block light from other vegetable plants.

They can be grown from seeds planted directly into the garden or from seedlings purchased from garden centres and planted out. Soaking seeds overnight then draining before planting can be beneficial; these will swell and a shoot may even appear, speeding the germination process. If the soil is very wet where they will be growing and there is a risk of the seed rotting, starting off with seedlings or sowing seeds into trays first for later planting may give better success. Broad bean seeds should be planted 4cm deep.

When sowing seed, plant them about 15cm apart in rows 70cm apart. Most varieties grow between waist and shoulder high so will need to be staked to avoid being flattened by wind. Use a secure stake at each end of a row and stretch string down each side of the row about 30-40cm high. As the plants grow, add a second string down each side at about 65-70cm and a third higher again if needed.

Depending on the severity of winter, plants will take around 13 to 17 weeks to reach harvest. Later plantings tend to catch up with earlier plantings. By sowing seed now in Whanganui gardens, you should be harvesting broad beans around mid-October. By making an early and late planting or sowing of seed you can give yourself a second crop, giving good production of broad beans for several months.

Soil preparation for broad beans is relatively straightforward. First, remove weeds and any other debris, then work the soil to a fine tilth. If the soil structure needs improving, mix some compost through the soil before planting or sowing. Avoid using fertilisers with a high nitrogen content; instead use sulphate of potash which is beneficial for strengthening plants for pest and disease resistance, as well as promoting flowering. Broad beans prefer alkaline soil conditions so if your soil is acidic an application of garden lime is recommended. Ensure seeds and plants do not come into direct contact with fertilisers as this can cause burning.

The broad bean plant is a legume - a soil improver. The plants essentially take nitrogen from the air and store it in the plant. When the plants have finished producing, they can be cut down and dug into the soil which will release nitrogen into the soil, enhancing conditions for nitrogen-hungry crops such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage or corn.

Broad beans are very easy to care for, suffering very few pests and disease. Protect from slugs and snails when first planted with Yates Blitzem or other slug bait. Occasional rust or chocolate spot can be controlled with Yates Fungus Fighter or GroSafe Free Flo Copper. If black aphids appear in spring, you can use Yates Mavrik or Organic Certified spray Gro Safe En Spray 99.

If birds are a problem when the seedlings are small (they peck at and eat the new shoots), simply cover with bird netting. The success of your broad beans depends on good pollination from bees. Planting blue flowering plants such as lavender, phacelia or borage nearby your vegetable garden to attract bees is certainly very beneficial and helpful.

Harvesting your beans will take place over several weeks as the pods nearest the base of the plant come ready first. These should be harvested when they are young and tender before they get too big and become tough, leathery and any childhood nightmares are relived. The tender fresh beans can be enjoyed fresh, boiled or steamed, or blanched and frozen for later use. The soft-growing tip can also be picked and eaten as an addition to salads, stir-fries or steamed.

A good variety to grow is Chefs Best Ican Broad Bean called Mr Green Seed. It will produce a great crop of beans that look good and taste good. Mr Green Seed produces beans that remain green after cooking. They are rich in minerals, vitamins A and C, and dietary fibre.

So have a go – plant some broad beans today.

For more gardening information visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz

* Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.