Autumn Sown Broad Beans - Bunyard's Exhibition

Allotment Growing - Broad Beans

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I've decided to sow and grow a second variety of Broad Bean this Autumn.

As mentioned in my earlier post - Autumn Sown Broad Beans - I have grown Aquadulce Claudia in previous years - and sown them again on my allotment plot this year.

I am also going to try Bunyard's Exhibition this year. Apart from anything else - I love the name of this variety.
Sounds like something The Gaffer would grow in his garden at Bag End in The Shire.

It is also listed in the catalogues as a hardy reliable cropper, suitable for both Autumn and Spring sowing and a grower's favourite for over 100 years.

I've already sown four rows of Aquadulce on my plot.

I was a bit concerned when I checked on progress last weekend - some of the young plants appear to have been uprooted or eaten - by something.

So - I'm going to sow some "backups" - in pots - kept in a sheltered spot in the garden. These can be planted out in Spring to replace any on the plot that don't make it through. Or just planted out anyway to produce more crops.

Hence - Bunyard's Exhibition - which will serve two purposes - to provide backup plants and to be sown on a second Broad Bean patch in Spring. Also - its nice to grow a new variety - at least - new to me and my allotment.

I part filled some small pots with my own compost from the garden compost bin.

Placed a seed in each pot - then topped up with more compost - leaving the seeds buried at a depth of about two inches. Added a plant label - as always - with seed variety and date.




We currently have a cold snap of weather in Cornwall - so these will go  in my garden shed for now - to give them a bit of extra warmth to help germination.

I've left sowing these a bit late - would have been better doing it when I sowed the allotment bed with Broad Beans in October.

But its not too late - and hopefully these will grow on - in a sheltered spot in the garden - through Winter and into Spring.

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Visit my website - Allotment Growing
- for lots more information, growing tips and photos:
Allotment Crops - How To Grow Broad Beans

You might also enjoy:
Allotment Crops - Autumn Sown Peas

Allotment Growing - Calendar - Monthly Jobs 

Autumn Allotment Jobs - Making Leaf Mould

Leaf Mould Bin - St Ives Allotment

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Through Autumn I've been collecting fallen leaves - to make leaf mould on the allotment.

It produces a wonderful compost that improves soil structure and - most importantly - water retention - particularly useful for sandy soils - beneficial for all soils.

It has few nutrients in it - much less than in green waste compost or from manure - but is nonetheless very good stuff.

I've built a leaf mould bin to store it - which I've filled up week by week. This is simply constructed from four tree stakes and chicken wire.

That is all that I will need to do, nothing else needs adding, except maybe water if the weather gets particularly dry.

The leaves will rot down slowly over the coming months and will be ready to add to the growing beds next Autumn.

Autumn Sown Broad Beans

Autumn Sown Broad Beans - St Ives Allotment

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I always sow some Broad Beans in Autumn.

It was good to see the seedlings coming through this week - from seeds sown in October.

If sowing in Autumn its important to use a suitable variety - some are only good for sowing in Spring.

I've sown Aquadulce Claudia for the last few seasons - always reliable for germinating in Autumn and producing good crops in late Spring.

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Visit my website for lots more information,
growing tips and photos:
Allotment Crops - How To Grow Broad Beans

You might also enjoy:
Allotment Crops - Autumn Sown Peas

Allotment Growing - Books

Sunday On The Allotment - 15 Nov - Autumn Jobs - Preparing Beds

St Ives Cornwall Allotment - November

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A bit of a grim day in West Cornwall - weather wise - but nonetheless I headed out to get some work done. It wasn't so bad once I got out there - at least the rain held off.

My aim this Autumn is to get my plot properly cleared down for Winter and to get ahead with preparations for next Spring. Something that I've neglected in previous years - resulting in more work in the Spring to get ready for sowing and planting.

The main job for the afternoon was emptying finished compost from the bin and spreading it onto the growing beds - cleared ready for next year.

Hard work - but I got the job done and the bin emptied.

November is the time for the messier and less glamorous jobs on the allotment.

But well worth doing - and will pay dividends next year. Also there is not much else to do on the plot in late Autumn.

I spread the compost onto the beds that I'd cleared over the last few weeks.

I don't bother digging it in - too much hard work and not necessary. I just pile it on from the wheelbarrow and then roughly level it off with the rake.

The "two W's" - Worms and Weather - will incorporate it into the ground naturally over the Winter.

One of the beds that I covered is earmarked for potatoes next year.

This will add some extra fertility and condition to the soil - ready for the spuds to go into the ground in March.

It should get them off to a good start.

Spring seems a long way away at the moment - but it will soon come.

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Visit my website for lots more information, growing tips and photos:
Allotment Growing

You might also enjoy:
Allotment Calendar - November Jobs

Allotment Growing - Books

Bean Trenches - Over-Wintering Broad Beans

Bean Trench

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Now is the time of year to be sowing over-wintering Broad Beans.

Well worth doing as this will help to deliver an early crop of lovely beans in late Spring. One of the first crops of the season,

You need to choose a suitable variety - I always use Aquadulcia Claudia - as these have delivered excellent results over the past few year.

One of the things that helps all beans along - Broad - Runner - French - is a bean trench.

Simply dig a trench - one spade deep - along the row where you will be sowing or planting.

Then chuck in some organic material.

This can be fully or partly rotted compost  or manure. You can also add old newspapers as an aid to water retention.

This year I'm using manure from the site heap - a delivery was arranged to the site in Spring - so this is good stuff now after a few months of rotting down.

Then simply backfill with soil.

Final tip - plant a stick at either end of the trench so that you know where to sow your row of beans !

All I need to do now is get the seeds and get then in the ground. One of my favourite sights of Winter is seeing the young plants breaking through - a reminder of another allotment growing season to come.

A New Plot - Still With A Sea View

Allotment With A Sea View - St Ives Cornwall

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Allotment With A Sea View has moved !

Not far though - just one plot across and two up - next to the boundary hedge and so more sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds. Still with lovely views to either side - of the Atlantic Ocean and the Penwith Hills.

This came about when a neighbour on the site decided to retie from allotmenteering - and kindly offered me his plot.

I though about this for a while - as I've put three years of work into the old plot - composting - manuring - improving the soil - building up a strawberry bed - planting willow.

But the new plot has a lot of advantages - its been very well cared for and the soil is in excellent condition. It has its own boundary fence - and the clincher - I now have my own shed !

I've transferred my compost bins over and transplanted most of the willow. I've been out today and dug bean trenches ready for my over-wintering broad beans to go in.

Looking forward to another productive year on my plot.

Sunday On The Allotment - 16 March - Spring Is Coming

At last - both time and weather have allowed me to get back out to my allotment on the edge of the Penwith Hills. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it.

Spring is very much in the air - and I can't wait to get things in and growing.

But - a misty day today - while the rest of the country basks in sunshine - West Cornwall is shrouded in fog.


After the Winter storms and rains - the plot is in fair shape. We have really well draining soil.

The first rows of seed potatoes are in. After a wonderful crop last year - which we have only just finished eating - I decided to stick with the same varieties.

Charlotte first earlies and Wilja second earlies.

Looking forward to potato salads in June.

My broad beans - Aquadulcia - sown back in November - are looking a bit bedraggled after all the foul weather we've had in Cornwall.

But past experience shows that these tough little plants will grow on well as things warm up - and deliver a tasty early crop.

Won't be long before they need staking up.


The perpetual spinach - to my surprise - is still growing well - it was sown way back in June 2013. I picked a nice harvest for Sunday dinner. This has proved a real winner - and it freezes well when I have a surplus - so I'll be sowing more this year.

My final job of the day was getting some peas sown.

This year I'm sowing a variety that I've grown before - Hurst Green Shaft. After a terrible crop last year I'm hoping for better results.

One thing that I'm planning to do is protect the plants with some horticultural fleece.

Strong winds are a constant problem on our site - so this should help.

More news from my St Ives Cornwall Allotment soon - as Spring and another year unfold.