Harvesting can start as early as May and carry on until September. The peak broad bean harvest is likely to be in July. Start picking broad beans when the pods are around 5-8 cm/2-3 inches long. At their smallest size, the whole pod can be cooked and eaten.Click to see full answer. Thereof, how do you know when broad beans are ready to be picked?You can pick pods when they are 7.5cm (3in) long and cook them whole. When picking pods to shell, wait until the beans are visible through the pod, but don’t leave them too long – the scar on the bean should still be white or green – not black, as the beans will become tough at this stage.Secondly, how do you harvest and store broad beans? Pick from the bottom up when ripe and continue to harvest frequently. Finger thick beans can be eaten whole or wait until the pod bursts open to harvest the fully ripe beans inside. When finished, cut off stems and dig roots back into the soil to make use of captured nitrogen. Broad beans are great for storing. Subsequently, question is, when can I transplant broad beans? Broad beans prefer to be planted in the position where they are to grow, but can be planted in individual pots during the autumn and transplanted in to the ground in the spring.Should I leave broad bean roots in the ground?After harvesting, leave the plants in the ground for as long as possible. Like other legumes, broad beans have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nodules on their root system, which boost nitrogen levels in the soil.
