Planting in succession

Tall broad beans, small broad beans

Since the Peas/Beans bed is followed on in the same season by Brassicas, it means ruthlessly clearing away plants as soon as they've finished producing.  I did this a few days ago with the first batch of early peas:  I pulled them up and immediately resowed their patch with rutabaga seeds. 

The broad beans are nearly finished too, and I've already cut down about half of them, but won't replant/resow the bed until they're all gone--probably within the next week. 

Lastly, the mange tout peas are also just finished, only they're a bit harder to get out--they're fully entangled with the maincrop peas!  The early peas too were mixed up with the maincrop, but as they were only about 18-24 inches tall, it was fairly easy to distinguish them.  Not so with the mange tout, which are the same height as the maincrop:  about 5 feet tall.  Oh well, I'll give it my best shot, and if all else fails, I can cut them down but leave them on the maincrop peas.  I'll still be able to plant under them.  I'm leaving the maincrop for drying anyway, so it doesn't matter if they're a bit smothered.

As for the spent pea and bean plants, they got chucked to the chicken yard, for them to scratch over and pick at.  They should be lovely compost in a few months.