Broad Bean The Sutton

Broad Bean The Sutton: variety and characteristics

Broad Bean The Sutton (Vicia faba) is an annual vegetable of the Legume family (Fabaceae). Sutton is a dwarf, bushy variety of broad bean, but gives yields as good as most taller varieties. Great for planting in patio pots.

White-seeded bean, up to 5 beans per pod and with good flavour. The pods grow about 15 cm long. Can be sown in autumn in greenhouses.

Dwarf broad beans are generally considered best for exposed sites, the long-pod type for early sowing, and the Windsor varieties are considered best for flavour.

It is easy to grow; very young pods can be eaten whole, but the beans are usually shelled for the beans inside.

Young tender beans are tasty and soft, while more mature beans can be shelled from their outer skin if you prefer.

The broad bean is the most cold-hardy legume — sown in early spring or in autumn, it gives large, nutritious beans when other vegetables are not yet ready.

Key features

• Pack size: 5 g
• Sowing: February – May; direct
• Harvest: June – September
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Broad Bean The Sutton

Broad Bean The Sutton seeds are sown in February – May. The crop is harvested from June to September. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Broad Bean The Sutton

• Sowing method: direct
• Depth: 5–6 cm
• Spacing: 15–20 cm in the row, 45 cm between rows
• Germination: 7–14 days at 10–20 °C
• Position: sunny spot

Make sowings in February in pots in the greenhouse or an indoor spot. For later sowings, draw drills directly in the growing site at a depth of 5 cm in the rows, spacing the seeds 10-15 cm apart and 60 cm between the rows. apart. Greenhouse-raised seedlings should be transplanted to the growing site in March, 10 cm apart in rows 60 cm apart. apart. Outdoor sowings should be thinned to 10 cm apart; the thinnings can be transplanted to make extra rows. Pick once the pods are filled with juicy, tasty young beans.

Sow directly in early spring (February–April) or in autumn (October–November). Pinch out the tips after the first pods have set — this protects against aphids and speeds up ripening.

Harvest and use

Pick young pods for boiled green beans, or wait for full ripening for dried beans.

Frequently asked questions

When should Broad Bean The Sutton be sown?

The recommended sowing months are February – May. Sowing method: direct.

Can broad beans be sown in autumn?

Yes — cold-hardy varieties are sown in October–November and give the earliest harvest in spring.