Well I have have multiple issues with pests when it comes to broad beans. There's no way I can direct sow them. They're gone by next morning, eaten by mice or woodpigeons. Even if I sow them in individual cells in trays I'm a victim of birds (or climbing mice). Once I can get the young plants six inches high they're OK once I plant them out. This year I was looking forward to a cracking good crop in July, then something (I suspect jays, which were around an awful lot this year) neatly stripped the beans from the pods whilst still on the plants. I estimated that I lost three-quarters of the crop. Netting next year.

Broad beans need organic matter but they don't need extra feeding and they can put up with a bit of drying out. I plant mine in single rows in my raised beds, the rows 18" apart and the plants in the rows about a foot apart. Aim to get the plants about six inches high by early April, though a bit later can still be OK. I don't get much trouble with blackfly because my garden is very diverse and a bit unkempt, but I do check them over in June a few times and just pinch out the few affected tops if I find any (none this year). The trick is to pick the pods when the beans are a good size but not to let them get "black in th'eye" (the scar on the bean where it's attached in the pod), as they go starchy and tough at that stage.

Broad beans freeze brilliantly. A three-minute blanch in boiling water, a quick cooling and drying and they last all winter in the freezer. 350g individual quantities are a handsome amount for two. If I have odd smaller amounts I use them in my three-bean-and-bacon risotto. I don't understand people who insist on individually skinning each bean. You only need to do that if you've let them get a bit too tough. I hate those bags of frozen broad beans you can buy in supermarkets. Nasty little things with tough skins and no flavour. I grew horse beans for green manure one year and I'll swear that shop "broad beans" are the same thing. I'd rather do without and just eat Cap'n BirdsEye peas. An unfortunate loss of crop in my garden is due to the excessive number of beans I eat raw when I'm shelling them (definitely an outdoor job by the way).