![](/media/oojnohoz/broad-beans.jpg?width=1002&height=668&bgcolor=White&v=1da6109f5bdaf60)
You can sow broad beans in October and November if you use hardy bean varieties such as ‘Aquadulce’, ready for harvest in May and June.
Protect the seedlings from frost using a cloche. Make two cloches by removing the lid of a large clear plastic bottle and cutting the bottle in half across the middle.
Sow broad beans at a depth of 5cm and 20cm apart.
Plant in staggered or zigzag rows 20cm apart as the plants can help to support each other.
Use stakes and string to avoid the plants flopping over.
Pinch out the top 7cm of the plant once the first beans begin to form to encourage an earlier harvest and reduce black fly.
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