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Disease and composting
janebal
Posts: 130
My broad beans first got brown spotted leaves and then the stalks and lower pods went black .
1. What disease have they got? and
2. Should I compost the stalks or will it leave disease in my compost?
Thank you for any advice.
0
Posts
Don't know what the black spots are but the golden rule is never put diseased material in the home compost bin-burn it or domestic rubbish bin.
Sounds like Chocolate Spot - very common on broad beans especially in cool damp summers but doesn't usually affect the eating quality of the beans and doesn't infect any other plants. I wouldn't worry about adding the haulms to the compost - allotmenteers I know have been doing it for years with no noticeable ill effect.
It is said that it may help to avoid Chocolate Spot if you can plant your beans a bit further apart to allow good ventilation - and of course this is try of other fungal diseases too.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you for your advice. I will plant the beans further apart next year.