No flowers on broad bean plants

Sashainthenorth

Hi all.  I have fantastic vegetative growth with my broad bean plants but no flowers yet.  I planted them out four weeks ago but still no flowers.  I am in Cumbria.   I read that the soil may be over fertilised and carrying too much nitrogen, hence the strong vegetative growth.  I added a lot of farm yard manure over winter.  Any suggestions on actions I can take?

Dovefromabove

Hello @alexandersashahickstYlr_nEu and welcome to the forum 

What variety are they?
When did you sow them?
How tall are they?

Sashainthenorth

Aquadulce.
Sown indoors 9 weeks ago.
Planted outdoors 4 weeks ago.
30cm plus tall

Dovefromabove

I think they're very young as yet ... I grow Aquadulce as an overwintering variety ... I sow direct into the veg patch at the end of October ... they germinate and grow slowly through the winter and we're usually picking them from the end of May onwards.  I think the answer is patience.  Don't pick the tips out until the first flowers have appeared.  You may need to give them some support if they're growing strongly.  

Sashainthenorth

Thank you Dovefromabove.

Busy-Lizzie

I see you live in the North so I would be a bit wary of sowing them in the autumn. I live in SW France a lot of the time and my broad beans sown in the autumn rarely survive the winter. The winters can be very cold and wet, down to -10°.

They do take quite a time to produce flowers but once the flowers come they develop quite quickly. I also find they take a while to germinate.

Dovefromabove

Aquadulce variety are as tough as old boots …. ours were about 10” tall when The Beast from the East hit us and they spent at last three weeks under 18” of freezing snow and slush … we had a fine crop, picking right through June. 

Some of the other varieties are less hardy. 

https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/how-to-grow-autumn-sown-broad-beans/#:~:text=Broad beans have an incredible capacity to withstand,are able to germinate at just 2°C%20%2836°F%29.

nick615

I may see the source of the problem Sashainthenorth.  You mention that you've been lucky enough to get hold of some farmyard manure which has a tendency to be acidic.  I'm going to suggest you apply a couple of handfuls of granulated lime to redress the balance.  I, too, have access to manure from local farms but have found in the past that crops that ought to grow well will react to granulated lime fairly quickly if they're things like peas, beans and brassicas that prefer an alkaline soil.  Conversely, things like cauliflowers and purple sprouting need more acid to set the florets, I'm told, so can do without the lime.

Busy-Lizzie

Aquadulce are about the only variety they sell in SW France @Dovefromabove and they don't survive the winter where I live. I had a few that survived the last winter but they suffered badly with the late frost in early April -4°.

Dovefromabove

I’m absolutely amazed at that @Busy-Lizzie … as I said the ones here cope with everything our weather can chuck at them and have done for the past 11 years  … as did my mother’s grown every year for 30 years or so on Suffolk clay. 

There must be a reason for the difference 🤔 

StephenSouthwest

Relax and wait - they will appear...