Broad Bean

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant LungwortExcellent, African MarigoldGreat and ChrysanthemumGreat nearby.

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Minute pirate bugs

Minute pirate bugs

Anthocoridae

Two to three millimetres, and both stages hunt — thrips and spider mites, thirty a day.

that help control Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

Silvery streaking with black specks — the specks are how you tell them from mites.

, Spider mites

Spider mites

Tetranychidae

Fine pale stippling in hot, dusty, dry weather. Visible webbing means you are already late.

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Broad Bean outdoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 20 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 90 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Lungwort
  

  LungwortExcellent pair

  • ❧Lungwort attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Broad Bean
  • ❧Broad Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Lungwort feeds on
  • ❧Broad Bean draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
• 
  Red Mustard
  

  Red MustardExcellent pair

  • ❧Red Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Broad Bean
  • ❧Broad Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Red Mustard feeds on
  • ❧Red Mustard suppresses pests that trouble Broad Bean
• 
  Wasabina
  

  WasabinaExcellent pair

  • ❧Wasabina attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids that attack Broad Bean
  • ❧Broad Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Wasabina feeds on
  • ❧Wasabina suppresses pests that trouble Broad Bean

How to grow Broad Bean

1. Sow-6 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space20 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~90 days

Water: Medium · Height: 120 cm · Soil: Rich, moist, well-draining — tolerates heavier soil