Last Updated on April 3, 2024 by Real Men Sow
Although I’ve been singing the praises of taking an early winter break from allotmenteering, I have allowed myself a few forays down the plot, and one of these little excursions involved sowing some broad bean seeds for overwintering. Overwintering can be inconsistent and in the past, I’ve often shrugged at the thought of my little seedlings out over the colder months and thought, why bother?
Many fellow plotholders ask the same question. ‘It’s cold, dark and wet,’ they say. ‘Save yourself the money and worry, and sow the seeds in Spring’. I used to take just this attitude, leaving my beds home to my Winter crops only, like kale and leeks.
Growing Broad Beans for the Winter
Overwintering Broad Beans
Overwintering is said to be good for warding off blackflies because the plants are older and tougher by the following Spring. I can definitely vouch for that, as my Spring sown broad beans always succumb to blackfly, without fail. And of course, it gives us something to do when the clocks change (and we’re fed up with the football). Sowing seeds at this time of the year is a nice and welcome lift as we settle in for winter.
When to Sow Broad Beans
Broad beans can be sown for overwintering during September, October, or November, but I tend to wait until November as I find earlier sowings can grow quite big and then get battered by severe winter weather.
Best month to sow broad beans
Sowing in November gives just enough time for the seedlings to get their roots established but stay fairly small and sheltered before Winter really gets going. Seeds sown directly in November can take up to a month to germinate, depending on where you are in the country but come Spring, the plants lap up the longer days and warmer temperatures and grow on very happily.
Growing Broad Beans in a Greenhouse
Another method I like is one I picked up from the excellent Sow and So, which involves sowing broad beans in pots in the greenhouse and leaving them be until the new season. I’ve tried this method too, and it worked well. It’s important to remember to harden off though before planting out.
Which Broad Bean Varieties to Grow
Frost and snow can damage Autumn sown plants so if the weather gets really bad it is worth protecting them with a cloche or horticultural fleece. Try to sow your seeds in well-draining soil, as heavy Winter rain and waterlogged beds can easily rot your seeds. Aquadulce Claudia is my favourite broad bean variety and has a good reputation for being the best for overwintering outside.
I put mine in the other day, too, for the same reason. Fingers crossed that it works out. It did last year and I had a really good crop….still some in the freezer! My next door neighbour’s are about 6″ tall already and I wonder how they’ll cope with winter. A ready- made control group! I’m always intrigued by the way seeds (most of them! ) resist rotting in the cold and wet of winter. The other advantage is that it gave me space to put my leeks in when they came out. ( I have only a small plot)
My aquadulche claudia broadbeans sown last October are 2 feet tall and covered in flowers. I sowed some more at the end of March and they are just poking above the soil.
I read that spring sown beans catch up so why bother with over wintering. In my experience, that is rubbish. Admittedly I live on the south coast and we had a mild winter but the idea that my recently sown beans will ‘ catch up ‘ is patently wrong.