Broad Beans – From Flowers to First Beans

Posted on 23. May, 2010 by Tracey in Veg Plot

I know every year I know I go on about Broad Beans but I truly love them! I think they are a bit like marmite you either love them or hate them. The thing I love the most are the flowers and then discovering the first beans amidst dying flowers. I’ve managed to capture my broad beans in this cycle this year, see the photo below which shows flowers, dead flowers and first beans.

Broad Bean Flower and First Beans

This year I’m growing Aquadulce Claudia which is a variety known for having tall plants. They certainly are tall and hopefully this means more broad beans pods! Over the past few years I’ve worked my way from up from the dwarf variety The Sutton which still gives a reasonable harvest to Super Aquadulce another variety with fairly tall plants but medium pods.

The biggest Broad Bean Myth is:

No Bees = No Beans

Wrong! Modern broad bean varieties are not dependant on pollinating bees, so if you don’t see any bees, don’t worry you’ll definitely still get beans! If you do see bees around your broad beans this will enhance your bean crop.

Top 10 Broad Bean Facts

1. Only bees which have long mouth parts can extract the nectar in broad bean flowers. However sometimes other smaller bees, honeybees and ants can take the nectar from the back of the flower.
2. Bees collect nectar from broad beans mostly from 2pm to 4pm in the day,
3. Apparently broad bean flowers are edible,


Broad Bean Flowers

4. In China, broad beans are fried and eaten as a snack,
5. In Italy, broad beans are a good luck charm,
6. Broad beans are also known as fava, faba & horse bean,
7. They are rich in protein and high in vitamin C,
8. Broad beans stems are square and not round,
9. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow,
10. Broad bean flowers are a stunning sight and smell beautiful.

Other Bean Posts worth a look:-

• How to Grow French and Runner Beans
• Transplanting Bean Seedlings into the ground
• How to Sow Broad Beans in Autumn for Spring Harvest
• Blackfly or Black Bean Aphid on Broad Beans
• Pests? Ants on Broad Beans
• Vegetable Directory – Aquadulce Claudia Broad Beans
• Vegetable Directory – Crimson Flowering Broad Beans

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