Decided not to plant the beans in the bed I manured yesterday; planted them in the bed of failed Winter spinach instead. 5 rows of 4 beans takes up half the bed, and the other half will be planted in a fortnight. That’s 40 plants, and if each plant produces enough for 1 meal I’ll have broad beans coming out of my ears. If they need 8-10 weeks growing, and regular picking keeps them growing for 4-6 weeks, I’ll have beans from mid-April through end-June but that’s still 40 plants/6 weeks or 6 1/2 plants per week … better learn how to preserve them :) or trade them for a cow.
Sarah Raven’s website has a picture of pods as long as my forearm! She also recommends staking each plant, which will be easier than putting in a mesh of some kind. Apparently they’ll grow to 75cm tall, so the stake should be that size. Will need some protection on top.
Also: weeded the Winter onions and forked manure into the bed for leeks. Weeded round the rhubarb and saw the first pink whorls of leaves.
18 Saughton Mains, no more! 