Broad Bean Plants

[RobHed]

Hope someone can assist - we are about to pick a very nice crop of huge broad beans from our garden but my question is what to do with the plants ? Do I take up the plants and prepare the ground for more veg planting or leave the plants to grow more beans (if indeed that happens) ?
All assistance gratefully received.

Rob from Bristol

[Odsox]

It depends a bit on whether you need the ground for something else.
If you cut the stems at ground level a certain percentage will throw up new shoots and flower again and may produce another smaller crop of beans.
I have never found it worthwhile though, but you might have more luck than me.

If you decide not to leave them, still cut them off at ground level and dig the roots in as they have nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots which will release the nitrogen for your next veg plants.

[godfreyrob]

2 years ago I did a small trial to check out if there was any benefit from leaving the roots from broad beans in the ground. I cut off the bb stems at ground level and removed half the roots from one side of the bed (put them on the compost heap). I then planted purple sprouting broc over all the bed. The purple broc growing with the bb roots left in produced bigger plants (over 1 foot higher) and more heads in the spring. I had read this in books but its more convincing seeing it for myself.

Some of the bb roots threw up small shoots but these died back pretty quickly - so no worthwhile second crop.

[RobHed]

Thanks, chaps - all very useful replies.

[Peggy Sue]

2 years ago I did a small trial to check out if there was any benefit from leaving the roots from broad beans in the ground. I cut off the bb stems at ground level and removed half the roots from one side of the bed (put them on the compost heap). I then planted purple sprouting broc over all the bed. The purple broc growing with the bb roots left in produced bigger plants (over 1 foot higher) and more heads in the spring. I had read this in books but its more convincing seeing it for myself.

.

Seeing is believing with gardening for sure