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

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08 Aug 09, Ian Purdie (Australia - temperate climate)
My Italian neighbour came up from Sydney four days ago and inspected my BB's. "What's the problem? I see no problem. Don't worry about ants. Already you have good pods" Where? Yep there were some small pods which in four days since have grown four fold and now stand right out. He went on to say that it was the cooler weather [for here] which had held them back. "When they get to 1.5 metres you will have more than you know what to do with". Thanks all.
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06 Aug 09, Marion English (Australia - temperate climate)
Emma I have finally got pods coming out looks like being a good crop my plants would only be about 2ft tall but very bushy and yes the tops are delicious also planted fairly close together
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06 Aug 09, Teena (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi. I have a beautiful tall (1.5M) BB plant and many other small ones which were planted much later. ALL of the plants have ants around the new growth. There doesn't seem to be any other insect around at all. Do I need to do anything? And, flowers are dropping off the big one but I can see any beans forming. Is this normal? PS. I am a very new gardener. Teena
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28 Jul 09, New farmer (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have 2 locations in my backyard to grow the broad beans, but the result is totally different, one area the beans grow very well, but the other place, there are no leaf left, all gone, I don't know why?
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27 Jul 09, Ian C. Purdie (Australia - temperate climate)
I've had my broad beans in for quite awhile now. Central Coast NSW and flowering vigorously but lower, earlier ones dropping off. No budding pods. Today I noticed ants quite active but I can see no evidence of aphids? Grew BB previously in Sydney no trouble.
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25 Jul 09, Marilyn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Beans in flower and plants are 5ft tall. Flowers are just starting - when can we expect the setting to commence?
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25 Jul 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Previous years I've harvested broad beans around October, so it's still very early. This year I was late getting them in, so they're still small, not yet flowering. Watch out for any ants - usually means they're farming aphids feeding on the tops of your broadbeans. Last year I put vaseline around each of the the broad bean stalks which stopped the ants, and the broad beans didn't seem to mind.
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24 Jul 09, rex (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
do you prop bean plants up between two wires or rope please
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19 Jul 09, tony (Australia - temperate climate)
thank you for reducing my worries about my broad bean plants not setting either. I was informed that i may have planted my broad beans too close together and the plants were not getting enough sunlight? They flowered well compared to last year, but now the flowers have fallen and no setting yet . . .hopefully i just have to be patient. :)
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16 Jul 09, marion english (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Emma yes I think patience the essence .Yesterday the local radio station had gardening talk back so called in told themof my problem and he suggested I pinch the top out so have done lthat let you know what happens we are having a cold spell at the moment in the minus,wet and windy
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The nice thing about fava beans is you don't have to cook them -- and you don't have to shell them (if they are still young -- they are young enough to eat whole UP TO THE point where they have plumped up fully and the pod is NOT YET fibrous -- once the pods are fibrous the pods need to be discarded (keep the beans) because the fibrous pods are too difficult to digest and will cause lots of discomfort). OK -- so I use my young pods raw (entire pod -- and some leaves and stalk) to make a pesto. I use this pesto as a dip. I also chop up the full pod and use them in stews (Garnish with some leaves). I use the leaves and some stalk (chopped up) when I make scrabbled eggs -- adding the fava once the scrambled eggs are about 15 seconds from done -- in other words just incorporating them into the scrambled eggs and then removing from the pan. If your unsure about what I mean when I say fibrous -- if you where to put the full pod in a blender/chopper -- after you chop, look at the mixture -- if the pods where too fibrous you will see "MESH" yes "MESH" -- looks like pieces of wire mesh -- pick these out and discard these. I NEVER DOUBLE SHELL -- the beans are always good -- but may need to be softened up like any dried bean needs to be.

- Celeste Archer

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