Fothergill's RHS Broad Bean Suprifin Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Vicia faba 'Suprifin', a premium selection within the legume family.
• Plant Class: Hardy Annual, establishing with exceptional seedling vigor to produce a reliable summer harvest from a spring sowing.
• Mid-Sized Bushy Framework: Naturally forms a sturdy, compact, and robust bush structure that offers maximum resistance to wind damage, making it perfect for exposed locations where taller varieties might collapse without complex staking.
• Masses of Well-Filled Pods: Bears a prolific abundance of neat, straight pods growing up to 15cm in length, offering a high-yielding crop that optimises limited growing space.
• Medium-Sized Gourmet Beans: Each pod contains up to five tender, succulent, and medium-sized green beans packed with an outstanding, rich, and traditional broad bean flavour.
• Ideal for Smaller Gardens: Features a tidy, non-invasive growing habit, making it a versatile selection for smaller kitchen gardens, raised allotment beds, or intensive vegetable plots.
• Nutritional Value: A rewarding, health-boosting crop to cultivate at home, serving as an excellent natural source of plant-based protein, dietary fibre, and essential vitamins.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: Choose a position with rich, moisture-retentive, and well-drained soil in full sun, though its robust nature allows it to succeed in more exposed and windy sites than traditional tall varieties.
• Sowing Method: Sow seeds thinly directly outdoors from February to April for a classic summer harvest. Place the large seeds 5cm deep in rows spaced 20cm apart, allowing 45cm between rows, and firm the soil down gently with the back of a rake before watering deeply.
• Moisture and Maintenance: Keep the soil consistently moist, particularly when the plants are flowering and setting pods, as regular watering is essential to prevent the crop from dropping. Keep the surrounding area well-weeded to reduce competition for nutrients.
• Pest Control and Harvesting: Pinch out the top 10cm growing tip of each stem once the first pods begin to form at the base, as this traditional technique redirects energy to the developing beans and helps deter blackfly infestations. Harvest the pods regularly when they are plump, well-filled, and snap cleanly.