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Which variety of Broad Bean?
Broad beans come in two main types. The longpod
types have up to 9 oblong beans in them. These are also the most
hardy of the broad beans and should be your choice if you want to
sow in autumn. This will produce an early crop. The Windsor varieties
have 4 to 6 round beans per pod. These are the tastiest broad
beans and are best sown in the early spring.
Variety
Comments
Express
One of the best broad beans for sowing in early spring. This
variety produces a good crop of tasty beans very early in the
season They are available from
Thompson and Morgan.
Like all spring sown broad beans they
will get attacked by black fly but this variety still produces a large crop. Get the
freezer ready for this heavy-cropper! Available from
Marshalls.
Imperial
Green
These are suitable for an autumn sowing because they do not do
well in warm conditions. They are available from
Thompson and Morgan.
Aquadulce
The number one broad bean for sowing in the autumn. Absolutely
hardy and produces a very tasty crop.
Available from Nicky's
Nursery.
Varieties of Broad Bean
The Sutton (click to enlarge picture)
Our top choice of broad bean for sowing in the spring. They only reach about 45cm
(18in) high making them very compact and require no support. They produce a huge
amount of tasty beans for such small plants.
