Grow your own food, week 4 - broad beans, leeks and spinach

If your gardening confidence needs boosting, then try growing broad beans. They really are a doddle.

Broad beans can be sown in autumn for an early crop the following year, or you can put them in the ground now for a harvest in July.

Sow seeds 5 cm deep, 20 cm apart, with a few extra for transplanting should some of the seeds not germinate.

Taller varieties, such as Imperial Green Longpod, will need tying to a stake as they grow. Dwarf varieties like The Sutton turn into bushes and can be left to get on with it.

As soon as pods begin to form, pinch off the top 5 cm of the plant. This will divert the plant's energy into making pods and also help control blackfly.

Keep an eye out for this aphid, as a handful of them will rapidly multiply into a black, gooey mess that sucks the life out of the plant. If you see signs of blackfly, brush them off with your hands or a water spray.

You can pick and eat the whole bean pod when it is 5 cm long, or wait for the beans to show through the pods for picking and shelling.

Now put a note in your diary to sow some more in a month's time, and a month after that (if you have the room). This will give you a succession of beans throughout the summer. 

Leeks

Another crop to sow now is the leek.

You can start them off in a container, or sow straight into the ground, 1 cm deep and aiming for seedlings that are 5 cm apart.

These will be transplanted when the leeks are about the thickness of a pencil - I'll remind you what to do in a later post.

Spinach

Still keen to do more? Then sow some spinach - from now and every couple of weeks until the end of May.

Spinach is temperamental. It won't germinate in dry soil and if the weather is too warm. But sow it too early and it's likely to bolt, which means it produces seeds and little in the way of leaves.

So look out for a bolt-resistant variety such as Medania and Lazio (it'll say so on the packet). 

Edwin Tucker has a good selection, or try the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

Dominic Murphy, Publishing & New Media Team

Dominic Murphy's book 'The Playground Potting Shed' includes an easy guide to growing food throughout the year. To order a signed copy at the special price of £6.99 please visit our Shop.