Plant Profile: Broad Beans

Growing broad beans at home not only gets you a delicious harvest, but it actually enriches the soil as it grows!

These hardy plants can handle frosts, making them a great addition to your patch for planting before the chilly temps hit, so they can establish.

Sunlight: An open, sunny position is best for these beans.

Watering: When you sow seeds, sow 2 beans together 10cm apart in rows. Water these once as you plant, and then don’t water them again until they have sprouted and have two open leaves. One of the biggest causes of germination failure in broad beans is overwatering.

Soil: Enrich the soil prior to planting with good amounts of ActivGrow Soil Improver and Cow Manure Plus. As broad beans produce their own nitrogen, there is no need to add additional fertilisers to boost nitrogen, or you’ll get lots of leafy growth, but minimal fruit set.

Rotation: Each season you grow broad beans, it’s best to choose a different spot in the garden to ‘share the love’ on the nutrient boost this plant brings.