Broad beans hit the dirt

A few days of good weather has inspired a visit to the big allotment. I must confess that the allotment doesn’t live up to its name being half the size of a conventional plot. However, along with the small allotment at the bottom of the garden and the garden proper we find this quite sufficient to deal with. After all, gardening should be a pleasure not a back breaking chore. There is a four bed rotation with a small herbaceous border at the far end.

Note also the netted kale, brussel sprouts, sprouting broccoli and cabbage. This is necessary because behind me there is a wood with lots of trees. In the trees sit beady eyed pigeons waiting to swoop. Well not this year! The netting has been very successful in keeping them at bay. Of course the fact that they have retaliated by raiding my garden bird table is neither here nor there.

The Digger had already filled the nearside bed with onions and garlic and now it’s the turn of Broad beans in the next bed. This year’s varieties are “Green Windsor” and “Martock”. I like “Green Windsor” because it’s a green seeded variety and I prefer them for flavour. The “Martock” bean is a very old variety dating back to the Middle Ages and apparently mentioned in English historical records as early as the 12th century. If you want any more background on them there is an interesting article here written by the Martock History Society (that’s Martock the village).

Broad beans are easy to grow, tasty and freeze well. What more could you ask of a vegetable.