For those of you who like a middle and end to your stories, here’s the middle of what may turn out to be the great BB saga.
Earlier this year, I bought a bulk bag of mushroom compost for £30. Bargain, I thought and spread it deeply and liberally. A few days later I planted out broad beans and a few weeks after that they started to die. Not one to be disheartened or defeated, I lifted the plants most likely to survive and potted them in multi-purpose compost in bottomless pots – except for the stunted one you see in the picture above.
Those in the pots are now doing what any self respecting broad bean plant does at this time of year; produces pods (albeit it in small numbers, which makes them the most expensive BB, pod for pod this side of Fortnum & Mason’s!)
There was a black fly attack but the plants seem to have withstood that and it seems the wind has shaken the blighters off…
Happy plants then. But what about the stunted one I left in the soil from the original batch; it’s surviving but not thriving. And then there’s the seeds I sowed direct about 6 weeks ago – at this stage they look very healthy and normal.
Strange stuff this soil…
Allotment Life 
Well, I am glad you are getting done broad beans… I wonder what was wrong with the mushroom compost.
The broad beans I sowed last November/December are doing fine but the ones I sowed in February have mostly not got any pods on them in spite of flowering. Maybe the wind blew off all the budding pods!
I like the idea that the wind blew your blackfly away.
Good to see you’re getting pods form. I’ve had blackfly as well but hope that pinching the tops off and spraying has got rid of them xx
Picked and eaten said pods. Here’s hoping you win against the blackfly
I got blackfly on mine and tried taking the tops off and spraying but took them up last week. We got a couple of pounds of beans anyway!
I’ve had years like that. It’ll be interesting to see if the late sown plants do anything.