Hello and welcome to the award-winning BBC Gardner's World magazine podcast.

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These friendly bite-sized podcasts offer advice on what you can be doing in the garden throughout autumn and winter.

Hello, I'm Oliver from BBC Gardens World magazine, and today I want to geek out with you over one of my favourite autumn jobs, sewing next year's broad beans.

It's a great way to deal with the sad fact that summer's over, and it's up there with planting next year's garlic clothes as an antidote to the autumn blues.

But it's not all about me and my desperate need to hold onto the last scraps of summer, there's also a really good horticultural reason to sow your broad beans now.

Over the years, I've noticed that the plants get off to a much better start when they're sewn now rather than in spring.

They seem to establish themselves more robustly with stronger root systems and hardier stems.

And by the time winter really sets in, my broad beans are already well away,

quietly ticking over, ready to burst into growth as soon as the temperatures begin to rise again,

usually from February onwards on my plot in East London.

Another big advantage is that autumn-sown broadbeams tend to suffer far less from Blackfly in spring.

The seeds get a head start, germinating and putting down roots before the cold really bites.

And by the time spring arrives, the plants are already too tough and established for most pests to bother with.

Of course, a lot depends on where you live.

I'm fortunate to garden at a relatively mild spot, where the winter doesn't really arrive in earnest until quite late.

This means my beans are well established by the time the coldest weather hits.

If you're in a colder, more exposed area, you might need to offer a little

bit of protection. Some horticultural fleece can make all the difference. But for many of us,

autumn sewing is well worth a try. So, let's get into the how. My method is pretty straightforward,

and it's evolved over the years through a bit of trial and error. I like to start by choosing a sunny

sheltered spot with reasonably well-drained soil. Brawlbeens don't like sitting in waterlogged

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