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
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.
Reply or Post a new comment
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
Reply or Post a new comment
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
Reply or Post a new comment
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?
Reply or Post a new comment
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.
Reply or Post a new comment
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?
Reply or Post a new comment
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.
Reply or Post a new comment
24 Jul 09, rex (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
do you prop bean plants up between two wires or rope please
Reply or Post a new comment
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. :)
Reply or Post a new comment
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
Reply or Post a new comment
Showing 241 - 250 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.