THE BENEFITS OF GROWING YOUR OWN
In this new series, we’ll show you the many perks to growing your own. You’ll have the satisfaction of nurturing something from seed to plant, as well as turning homegrown produce into something delicious, which is often cheaper. You’ll have more nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, while reducing waste. Plus, there’s the sense of wellbeing you get from losing yourself in an activity.
bbcgoodfood.com/article/sow-grow-glow
What to grow now PEAS & BEANS
Peas and broad beans are legumes, which provide protein, making them particularly good for vegetarians. They’re exceptionally hardy, so if you sowed some last autumn, you could be gearing up for picking now. Just one seed can result in a large plant, producing masses of pods. And, as they grow upwards, they don’t take up much ground space for the harvest you get. Both podding peas and broad beans can be dried for easy storage in jars. To dry peas, leave them on the plant as long as possible, then cut off the pods and spread them out somewhere dry to split open. Or, shell the pods and freeze the contents after boiling for 1-2 mins so you’ll have plenty of peas to eat all year round.
When to sow
This month is your last chance to sow broad beans until autumn, when you can start overwintering varieties. Peas have a long sowing season, from midwinter to midsummer, plus some varieties in autumn. Short cultivars of shelling peas are ideal for sowing direct in the soil now.
When to harvest
Peas sown now will take 12-14 weeks to mature to harvest, and broad beans take 12-16 weeks. By sowing in regular batches, you can eat fresh peas and broad beans from late spring to early autumn.
Varieties you won’t find in the supermarket
‘Imperial Green Longpod’ broad beans produce handsome pods up to 30cm long, while ‘Karmazyn’ produces high yields of tasty pink beans. ‘Blauwschokker’ peas neatly pack rows of tasty green peas into fat purple pods.
Alternative uses
You can eat the young shoots of both fresh peas and broad beans, and you can also enjoy the immature pods of broad beans. Peas work well as sprouting seeds on the windowsill, too.
Other benefits
Both crops are thought to be good for soil, as they fix nitrogen into it, a nutrient that all plants need. Broad bean flowers can be black and white, red or pink. These are among the first crops to bring a vegetable plot back
