More peas and beans

Think it's too late to sow beans and peas? Think again! Bob reveals how to start legumes on the plot in summer

- Bob Flowerdew

ALTHOUGH we’ve passed the usual sowing dates for peas and French or dwarf beans, it’s still worth putting some in right now – for many good reasons. First, we seem to be having longer, milder autumns than we had in the past. Traditionally, we’ve not gone for late sowings as too often the weather would turn too cold too early in autumn. But now there’s a good chance of later batches having time to ripen, and even to dry on the plants for seed.

Sowing now, the weather is warmer than earlier, and so is the soil, thus germination and growth are more likely. This suits those varieties from warmer climes, particularly soya (edamame) beans. As well as our weather changing, most modern peas and beans have been bred to be less prone to mildews that would often ruin late (and even summer) batches.