Early broad bean with joke-book-sized seeds—huge. Joker is an early, very high-yielding broad bean variety with exceptionally large, meaty and tasty seeds. It tolerates cold very well and is highly tolerant of viral diseases, so it performs well both when sown early outdoors and in a polytunnel, where it produces the earliest harvest of the season.

At a glance

• Type: early, very high-yielding variety, tolerant of viruses and cold
• Seeds: greenish-white, very large
• Outdoor sowing: March – April
• Harvest: June – July
• Position: sunny, fertile and moist soil
• Difficulty: very easy – a vegetable for beginners
• Number of seeds per packet: approx. 20 (35 g)

What makes this variety stand out

When it comes to broad beans, two things matter: seed size and earliness. Joker has both – the pods are thick and well filled, and the seeds are among the largest of the varieties available to gardeners. Thanks to its tolerance of low temperatures, it can be sown as soon as the soil thaws, without worrying about seedlings dying off. The variety is also highly tolerant of viruses, which can significantly reduce broad bean yields in wet years.

The producer particularly recommends Joker for growing under cover – in an unheated polytunnel, sown in February or March, it produces its first pods as early as late May and early June, several weeks before broad beans grown outdoors.

Growing step by step

Sowing (March – April, directly outdoors): broad beans are one of the first vegetables sown in spring – the seeds germinate at just 3–5°C, and young plants tolerate frosts down to -4°C. Sow in rows 30–40 cm apart, placing 2–3 seeds every 20–30 cm (or singly every 10–15 cm), at a depth of 4–5 cm. Seedlings emerge after 10–20 days, depending on the temperature.

Thinning: when all the seeds in a planting station have emerged, leave the 2 strongest plants. The seedlings do not need pricking out or transplanting; raising plants in pots (sown under cover in March) can advance the harvest by approx. 2 weeks.

Growing (April – July): the plants grow quickly and reach 80–120 cm in height. In windy positions, stretch string between stakes along the rows so that stems weighed down by pods do not fall to the ground. Broad beans fix nitrogen from the air, so nitrogen fertilization is unnecessary – compost incorporated before sowing is sufficient.

Care and harvest: broad beans are undemanding: water during drought (especially during flowering and pod formation), earth up young plants for stability, and check the shoot tips for black bean aphids. When the lower pods begin to form, pinch out the shoot tips – this is the simplest way to limit aphids and speed up ripening. Harvest the pods when the seeds are fully developed but still soft and pale – usually 3–4 weeks after flowering.

Uses

Joker seeds are very tasty raw and after brief cooking – young beans with salt and butter are a summer classic. The large seeds are easy to peel, so they are ideal for freezing, as well as for spreads, salads, soups and preserves. Broad beans are also a good preceding crop and companion plant in the vegetable garden: they enrich the soil with nitrogen, and brassicas or leeks can be planted after them.

Gardener’s tip

Specifications