Have these broad beans set yet?

[Chris Graham]

Since I have never grown these before, I'm unsure if they have set?

Seems the flowers have withered, what do you think?

[Chris Graham]

[Georgie]

There is no sign of any beans is there so I'd say no.  Mine are the same and if they stay like that they are getting chucked!

G x

[redimp]

I think there is a tiny bean pod inside the white base of the wilting flowers - they look quite solid.  Slide the flower off the most withered ones - if there is a bean, it should stay put.  It will only be about 1-2cms long at the moment.

[Toadspawn]

Have you seen bees visiting the flowers (bumble and/or honey bees)? If so then the flowers will have been pollinated. Just be a bit more patient and the developing pod will become visible as it grows and the petals disappear. 

[artichoke]

"If so then the flowers will have been pollinated"

Not so sure. I watched a couple of bees working among my broad beans yesterday, and without exception, instead of pushing their way into the flower to get nectar and pollinate it, they bit through the back of the flower from the outside. Every flower I looked at has a puncture mark. Time will tell if some other more diligent bee might have pollinated them anyway.

I know bees regularly do this to runner bean flowers, which is one reason for setting problems, but I haven't noticed it on broad beans before.

Having said that, I have had a wonderful crop of beans from another plot, a few days ago.

[barkingdog]

My Crimson flowered broad beans don't seem to be setting either - they look very similar, just withering away. Maybe it's something to do with the cold weather we've been having as I haven't seen many bees this year.

bd

[Robert_Brenchley]

Give them a while, they'll probably be OK. Mine looked the same, but all the beans are growing merrily now. It remains to be seen how good pollination actually was, if it was poor the pods will be half-empty. What I can say is that my fruit, in flower at the same time, is producing masses of little apples.

[Chris Graham]

Well last night I took another look and there was a honey bee on the flowers so fingers crossed.

[Trevor_D]

They look OK to me. Leave 'em be.

[Able]

They look OK to me. Leave 'em be.

Or even let them "BEE" lol.

[PurpleHeather]

A Cotton bud gently wiggled inside every flower

It is a sort of artificial insemination for gardeners