Broad Bean de Monica.

Broad Bean de Monica. Be the first to harvest delicious broad beans! Ten years of breeding have produced Broad Bean ‘De Monica’, the earliest maturing broad bean variety from a spring sowing. High yields of 15cm (6″) pods with 4-5 large seeds per pod will be ready to harvest at the same time as winter sown variety ‘Aquadulce’. This exciting new variety has a strong root system and an upright growth habit, producing 2-3 stems per plant.

Height: 120cm (48″). Spread: 45cm (18″)

Sow
February – April

Harvest
June – August

How to sow
Direct sow broad bean seed under cloches in February, or without protection from March to April. For particularly early crops some varieties of broad beans may also be sown outdoors under cloches from early autumn to late winter.

Grow beans in full sun on rich fertile, well manured soil with protection from strong winds. Plant broad beans in double rows set 23cm (9″) apart and allowing at least 60cm (24″) between each double row. Sow broad beans at a depth of 5cm (2″) deep and a distance of 23cm (9″) apart within each row and water well. Germination usually takes around 10 days.

Companion planting
Try growing broad beans with summer savoury to help repel black bean aphids, a common pest of broad beans.