Now take a closer look:
One of those bean plants is so much smaller than its siblings that there must be something wrong with it. There was. I dug it up, and it had hardly any root at all - something had evidently nibbled it away.
Both beans sown the same day
Not a problem though, because I had a spare!
As well as the spare plant pictured, I have sowed a couple of extra bean seeds at the ends of each of my two rows on Broad Beans - just in case... When you only sow a small quantity of something, every plant is precious.
By the way, did you notice the row of Radishes next to the beans? This is what you call a "catch-crop" - a fast-maturing crop that will grow alongside the main crop, but will mature much earlier, before the main crop crowds it out and blocks its light. Radishes can be ready in about a month from sowing (less in ideal conditions), so they are perfect for this purpose. I have three 2.4 meter rows of Radishes on the go at present, sown at different times to provide a succcessional harvest, and I may try to squeeze a few more in somewhere else later on.
Just a note on my use of cloches:- they are providing good shelter from the wind (and from the severe frost we had earlier in the week), but I am conscious that they also "protect" the plants under them from the rain, so I am careful to remove them temporarily every now and then and give the plants a drink. I also noticed today how much green algae has built up on them - I really must give them a wash, because they will not be letting through enough light. This can normally be achieved swiftly with a hosepipe and a soft broom.
