Can anyone advise me as to what varieties of broad beans are best for growing in our part of the world? I have tried a number with varying success and would be interested to see what other people have found.
I am also thinking ahead and wondering if any one can advise me on the best type of tomato plants to grow from seed….?
Last year I tried several indoor and outdoor varieties, all grown from seed. I was a bit late getting them started, but even taking this into account the results were pretty disappointing. Even those that produced decent fruits didn’t have that great a flavour.
I have concluded (having tried previously) that I can not grow outdoor tomatoes here at Pond Cottage (I am convinced our garden is a couple of degrees colder than the rest of Parwich!). So, this year I will be keeping them all in the greenhouse. I am more interested in flavour than yield – can anyone suggest anything, or give me some tips?
Many thanks
Emma
PARWICH.ORG 
I have had similar experience with outdoor tomatoes.
Broad bean Karmazyn has been the most reliable, with excellent germination and plant growth. Other varieties such as Sutton, Witkiem Manita and Aquadulce Claudia have been fine. All seem to succumb to chocolate spot in the end, but this hasn’t affected the crop. I have germinated indoors, but find planting direct a little later works well too.
At Hallcliffe I seemed to have luck with most broadbeans, they usually did quite well, though if planted later pests, particularly blackfly, became a problem. You could if you have cloches try germinating some beans now in the house and planting them out when a couple of inches tall under protection. The plants are surprisingly hardy , and you would then get a maximum growing season.
I never got anything much from out outdoor tomatoes so gave up on them. Moneymaker is a fairly reliable variety under glass for a reasonable crop, but really with sun any variety should do well. Though the vegetable garden at Hallcliffe was a south facing slope that in the spring and early summer was warmer than neighbours gardens by the Brook.
My father always swore by an early sowing of dwarf tomatoes, Tom Thumb, He sowed his first in a heated greenhouse on Boxing Day and often had fruit by Easter. I never went that early, but because they fruit quickly I found their tomatoes were often tastier than the full sized plants in poor seasons.
Thank you Helen and Peter – that is very helpful.
I haven’t tried tom thumb, so I will give that a go.
Wrt beans, I haven’t tried Karmazyn either – though I have tried the other three. Last year I tried a dwarf broad bean – think it was Scorpio – but it was very disappointing (again I was late sowing it though), have you tried it?
Emma,
I am not very good at making notes of Lessons Learned from each season.
Broad beans. Varieties are fairly constant. I plant my seeds in a cold greenhouse in the second to third week of March. Aquadulce for an early crop and varieties such as Imperial Green Longpod, Bunyard’s Exhibition, Masterpiece Longpod. When I plant my rows out in April, I also plant more seeds for a later crop although these tend to catch up with those brought on in the greenhouse.
As they become full grown, pinch out tops to reduce impact of black fly. Like Helen, my plants succumb to chocolate spot, the price for not wanting to spray.
Having said that, I never feel I get the full potential crop you see in the catalogues! Thompson and Morgan have one or two less common varieties which are worth a go. Karmazyn has lovely pink beans. Study the catalogues for hints on flavour. An omission of a comment is usually a clue.
Tomatoes: again, I only grow in a cold greenhouse. I buy young plants in late April to get a head start.
Seed catalogues recommend varieties such as Gardeners Delight, Ailsa Craig, Shirley and Alicante for flavour and they are my main crop. The seeds I had from you and some plugs from Mike R. did well last year although I forget names. Tigerella? Plant in 12 inch pots, better than grow bags. I use a mix of composts. It is important to feed and water regularly. I have used various foods but Wilko’s, first class for seeds and other garden requisites at sensible prices, do a tomato food with added magnesium which can be useful especially if your potatoes suffer a shortage. (Epsom salts from Boots sorts out magnesium shortage.)
Because I had so many tomato plants last year thanks to you and Mike, I kept some outside on a south facing wall which eventually ripened and left some green for green tomato chutney.
For smaller quantities of seed, look at Simpson’s Seeds who also do unusual salad mixes with endive, mesclun etc.
Consider joining the RHS (show at Chatsworth from June 7) which has a first class advice service which saved my young brassicas two years ago, correctly identifying from photos the rape seed beetle, uncommon when my vegetable books were published. Also my magnesium shortage which everyone said was blight!
Richard Tresidder
Hi Richard
Manny thanks for all of this very helpful information and advice! One the seeds from last year was Tigerella – a stripy one!
I haven’t tried Scorpio. In recent years I have planted quite late and black fly hasn’t been a problem. I have also blanched and frozen spare broad beans.