Growing Broad Beans, also Fava bean

Vicia faba : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
              P P      

(Best months for growing Broad Beans in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 43°F and 75°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 6 - 10 inches apart
  • Harvest in 12-22 weeks. Pick frequently to encourage more pods.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dill, Potatoes

Your comments and tips

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for USA | for all countries
11 Oct 13, Debbie (Australia - temperate climate)
We have had a fantastic crop of broad beans (our first year growing them) and wondered if anyone knows about drying them. You often see recipes for using dried fava beans but we are not sure how to go about this. We do have a food dehydrator but there is no mention of broad beans in the instructions.
Reply or Post a new comment
22 Oct 13, Andrew S (Australia - temperate climate)
G'day Debbie Best way we dried the beans was to either keep them in the pod on the plant and let them dry naturally as summer picked up , or place them on a drying rack in the shade on a hot day. Again we found the best ones were those that dried in pods. What you don't eat becomes next years crop. Going to try some in a plate drying this year.
Reply or Post a new comment
28 Sep 13, Craig (Australia - temperate climate)
My broad beans were planted from seed the end of march. I have used seasol + seasol vegetable concentrate once a week lightly watered in a watering can mix then a deep water. The flowers started in July and the plants are 200cm high. the beans started beginning September and are now in full bloom. be patient and topping the plants to avoid over-growth and limiting new bottom shoots will help stimulate the beans. water morning and evening for late bloomers. When the bees start to move on your in for a bumper crop.
Reply or Post a new comment
13 Sep 13, frank (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My broad beans plants are being eaten from the upper stalk to middle of stalk including all flowers, leaves and baby pods. What is eating them???No parrots around yet !! or Possums ?? sending me crazy
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Sep 13, Larsy (Australia - temperate climate)
My broad beans appear to have rust spots appearing on the leaves. I want to save seed from these plants. Will the rust affect the next generation if the seed is saved?
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Sep 13, Lee Patterson (Australia - temperate climate)
I did ask a couple of times about my Broad Beans. They are now fruiting but I pulled all the Brussel Sprout plants as they did no good.
Reply or Post a new comment
28 Aug 13, Antonio (Australia - tropical climate)
My broad beans plants have plenty of flowers but after more than one week with flowers I can not see any pods. What is wrong with them? When should I see fruit pods?
Reply or Post a new comment
30 Aug 13, joe (Australia - temperate climate)
flowers may show for a month or more..don,t worry.the warm weather days will get them moving. also there is a only a few bees around im trying to get my basil and and lavender into flower. and hopfuly attract more bees.this may help also.
Reply or Post a new comment
21 Aug 13, Robin Scott (Australia - temperate climate)
Something that I have found useful with broad beans. Like many gardeners, we have a problem with cabbage white butterfly, and I found quite by accident that after they have finished their working day, they retire to the broad beans for the night. Had me puzzled as to why until I realized that their white wings with black spot are very similar to broad bean flowers. Just go in at dusk and pick them off!
Reply or Post a new comment
18 Aug 13, Lee Patterson (Australia - temperate climate)
My Broad Beans plants are quite high and have the flowers on them and plenty of BEES which I haven't seen in the garden for ages. I still have no fruit on them. Should I just leave them or pull them out. Also Brussel Sprouts with no fruit. Can anyone help. Thank you.
Reply or Post a new comment
Showing 91 - 100 of 268 comments
See comments for all plants

Let's start with the germination temperature: 7c to 18c is the ideal germination temperature for FB, further the temperature needs to be sustained (over 5 or more days). So it needs to be warmish for the seeds to germinate. They will however happily reside in the soil until those temperatures are met (within reason- excess moisture causing rot etc.). The growing temperature for fava beans is between 4c and 24c. The kill temperature is -4c to -10c depending on the variety. What happens between the kill temperature and the grow temperature is a "waiting/holding" time (the plant is alive, but is sort of in limbo until the temperature is good enough again to grow). Above 24c the plant is starting to experience heat related symptoms and again is just holding on (unless the temps get to hot and kill the plant). You need to think about temperatures - what temps do you expect over the next month ? Based on the temperatures, do you think you seeds will germinate ? Then think about the grow temperatures -- if the seeds sprout will they be able to grow ? Generally if you want to grow fava beans in winter you plant them in late summer - so they germinate and grow enough BEFORE the cold weather -- during the cold weather (provided your are does not get too cold) the beans will be able to stay alive and grow a slight bit -- so you can harvest greens during winter and some beans -- then spring comes and the fava plants put forth LOTS of beans and then die. That is to say, the fava bean plant does not grow very much in cold weather and I find that typical of most plants that I want to over winter. They need to have a head start in decent weather and then they kind of SLOWLY inch their way to the finish line. Over wintering is a means of keeping the produce fresh - think of it this way - if you had produce in the fridge it is no longer growing, in fact it is in the process of dying, losing valuable nutrients daily. If you have a plant in the winter ground (that can handle overwintering), it is alive, GROWING REALLY REALLY slow, but it is alive and NOT losing nutrients. I guess what I'm trying to say is, super performance is generally not required, or expected, we are just looking to hold nutrients when we over winter. Clearly some plants are better for overwinter than others - in my area FAVA BEANS are a good choice.

- Celeste Archer

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply


All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate App

Put Gardenate in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use Gardenate and subscribe to the free Gardenate planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About Gardenate | Contact us | Privacy Policy

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.