If you sow broad bean seeds directly into the garden, or plant them in pots and keep them in an unheated cold frame or greenhouse, you might have to wait weeks before the first sprouts appear.
That’s exactly what happened when I planted mine in pots and placed them in my unheated miniature greenhouse:
- The first sprouts appeared after more than three weeks.
- Most took around four weeks.
- And some needed almost two months!
But there’s a much faster way: Germinate them indoors at room temperature!
I tried that too, and the first sprouts appeared in about a week. That’s quite a difference!
And the best part?
You don’t need any special equipment. Just ordinary seed-starting pots, some potting soil and a warm room.
Why does starting broad beans indoors make such a difference?
Broad beans are cool-season vegetables. They can handle cold weather pretty well…
But just because the plants can tolerate temperatures close to freezing doesn’t mean their seeds will germinate quickly in cold soil.
I learned that the hard way.
After weeks of waiting, I was beginning to wonder whether those seeds would ever sprout. I’m surprised I didn’t just give up and throw the pots onto the compost heap. Which would have been a shame, because those plants eventually gave me a harvest.
The thing is, broad bean seeds germinate faster when the conditions are warmer. And by keeping them indoors, that’s exactly what you’re giving them.
So, how exactly do you do it?
It’s simple.
Fill some pots with potting soil. Plant the seeds about 2 cm (¾ inch) deep, as I did. Then water them.
and then, instead of placing the pots outside in the cold, keep them indoors at a comfortable room temperature of around 21°C (70°F).
In my case, the first sprouts appeared in about a week. Yours might too, although the timing can vary depending on the growing conditions.
Important: What to do once they germinate?
Once the seeds germinate and the seedlings emerge, they’ll need plenty of light.
I kept mine under grow lights for about another week. By then, they were getting too big for my indoor setup, so I moved them outside.
It was still winter, though, so I had to protect them from the cold.
So I placed some in my miniature greenhouse and covered the others with frost protection covers.
But that’s another story.
For now, if you want your broad beans to germinate faster early in the season, give them a warmer start indoors.
And if you’re new to growing vegetables from seed and wondering what comes next, I’ve put together a free seed-starting email guide for beginners, where I share what I’ve learned about getting seeds started and raising young seedlings.