At Unwins we take your security and privacy very seriously. Please read our Security Policy to find out more.
Broad Bean Optica Seeds
An abundant cropper in recent trials and the winner of a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, Optica is an excellent modern variety.
Lower growing than many broad beans, it is therefore well suited to even small gardens. It yields 5 or 6 white beans per pod, and if picked when very young the pods can also be eaten.
Optica has an outstanding flavour and the beans freeze well for future eating. We recommend this variety most highly.
- Good for small gardens
- Tender pods
- Sufficient for a 10m (30ft) row
- 60cm / 24in
- 10cm / 4in
Broad Bean Optica Seeds growing partners...
Sowing Indoors
Seeds can also be sown individually in 8cm (3in) pots of seed compost. After sowing, place pots in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse.
Keep moist but not saturated. Gradually accustom plants to outside conditions before setting them out from April onwards to their cropping positions at the spacings given above. This often gives an earlier crop than outdoor sowings.
Sowing Outdoors
Sow individual seeds 5cm (2in) deep and 10cm (4in) apart. Broad beans are usually sown in double rows about 25cm (10in) apart. Allow 60cm (24in) between each set of double rows.
Aftercare
To deter blackfly (sometimes a problem on broad beans) pinch out the growing tips of the plants when they are in full flower.
Special note
Pick them as young as possible for the very best flavour. When very young, they can be cooked and eaten in their pods. Broad beans are delicious cooked, cooled and used in salads too.
add a review
You need to be a registered user to submit product reviews. Click here to login or register.
