Broad bean harvest


Broad bean pods
Broad beans in pod
Broad beans

Broad beans aren’t the most efficient of vegetables. Each bean is so cocooned in the pod that once you’ve shelled them you only have about a quarter of the weight in shelled beans that you had in unshelled pods. My first harvest (and quite possibly the last as well) was 200g of pods, resulting in around 50g of beans. I don’t expect large harvests, because my beans are growing in containers. I also pinched the tips out of the beans before we went on holiday, to prevent blackfly taking up residence while we were gone.

The plants looked strong, though (they’re a bit wilty now the weather has warmed up), and the pods were good. Does this mean the bean booster had an effect? We won’t know for sure until I pull the plants up and look for nitrogen nodules on the roots.

Posted 23 June 2009, 14:28.   Posted in .

2 Comments for Broad bean harvest

  1. We have been eating glorious broad beans for a couple of weeks now. I love shelling them, I find it so calming, but, yes you are right the amount inside can be very disappointing. We continue to grow loads of them though because we love the taste ~ we can often be seen on the lottie nicking one off the plants as we go by and scoffing them up right there and then, yummy!!!

    Carrie · Jun 25, 04:28 PM

  2. We grow about 2-3 doz plants each year and for the taste they are an absolute must. With parsley sauce (without butter) there is nothing to beat them. You could not have planted many beans to get so small a harvest. Also by watching them and picking them only when they are small and tender a long crop can be achieved and we invariably get some to freeze for the winter months.

    Gerry Mayfield · Jun 26, 12:35 AM

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