Broad Bean Witkiem

What Broad Bean Witkiem is

Broad Bean Witkiem (Vicia faba L.) is an annual vegetable of the Legume family (Fabaceae). This broad bean variety produces a pod with large white beans. The plants grow about 100 cm tall and 45 cm wide.

The variety has excellent frost hardiness. One of the few varieties that can also be sown in autumn.

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

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 90%
• Seeds per packet: 5–8 pcs (10 g)
• Seed origin: Germany
• Sowing: February – May; direct
• Harvest: June – September
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Broad Bean Witkiem

Broad Bean Witkiem 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 Witkiem

• 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

If you missed sowing broad beans in the second half of October and early November, you can do it now — at the end of February or early March. 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. 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 Witkiem be sown?

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

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 5–8 seeds, pack size 10 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 90%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.

Can broad beans be sown in autumn?

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