Rob Smith likes a veg that is happy to look after itself most of the time and is a great cropper. Enter the broad bean, a bean that means business

In very cold weather broad bean plants may wilt but they soon recover

Broad beans can be found on just about every allotment site and in plenty of veg patches up and down the country. The easy-to-grow legume not only produces masses of beans, most also have fragrant flowers, and you’ll know that they give off a delightful aroma too!

Broad beans aren’t just easy to grow, they are really hardy too, with many varieties suitable to sow in October/November and surviving harsh winters without a problem. In fact, my ‘Superaguadulce’ have even frozen solid before, wilted – and then, as soon as the sun’s got back on them, they have perked right up again and been absolutely fine as if nothing has happened.

SOWING AND PLANTING

When it comes to sowing your seeds, there are a couple of methods and they work for both autumn and spring varieties. You can start seeds off directly in the ground 5cm (2in) deep and 15-20cm (6-8in) apart, either in a double row or in a zigzag pattern; both mean the plants will hold each other up as they grow. Each row should be about 60cm (2ft) apart to give plants enough space for good air circulation. You could also start seeds in Rootrainers or used toilet roll tubes and plant them out when they are 8-10cm (3-4in) tall.