Week 16 - Bed 5

photo by Eoin Campbell

We dug up one of the broad bean seedlings again this week and there has been a huge amount of growth in the root system after 4 weeks. The total length of the plant is about 30cm with at least 80% of it underground. It could be more as it looks like the end of the tap root was broken off. (That is Bruce holding the plant). The root has already grown through the depth of cultivated soil and the extent of the root system shows the huge amount of energy that was stored up in the seed.

photo by Eoin Campbell

A close-up photo of the same plant shows the seed, the white stem above it that was underground (up to the top of the finger) and all of the horizontal roots coming from the tap root. The tiny hairs of the white roots have clung to the soil particles