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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06 Oct 15, Barry Coster (Australia - temperate climate)
My broad beans have leaf curl. I don't know what causes it or how to treat it ?
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12 Oct 15, Prometheus (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Barry, I have had exactly the same problem this year (I am from Central Highlands of Victoria). It's hard to find any information about leaf curl on broad beans via the internet. I have noticed however that it's tended to affect my plants which were overseeded in smaller 25cm containers (most of my plants in larger containers don't have the curl). I suspect that the recent Spring heatwave (we had temps in the mid 30s) has something to do with it - broad beans do not tolerate temperatures above 23 degrees and will start to wilt and die off in the 30s. My diagnosis is probably the combination of unseasonal hot, dry weather and overcrowding is killing them off. This may be the same cause for you if you live in an area that experienced the heatwave. I think you can either leave them and see if they recover on their own, or (which is the course of action I will follow), cutting down the most badly affected plants and leaving some of the others to hopefully regenerate. All the best, P.
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07 Mar 15, Sharon (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it too late to plant dwarf beans? The packet says 'plant in March" ?
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31 Oct 14, Jim O'Brien (Australia - temperate climate)
Planted broad bean seeds 30/4 and just about to begin harvest on 31/10/14. That's 180 days. Is there anything I should do to speed up the fruiting process. Thanks
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12 Aug 15, (Australia - temperate climate)
you sound like an industry grower. Old saying plant peas or broad beans on Anzac day. I let them do their thing for a while,then a bit of hi Potassium will speed up flowering. But you planted correctly,no worries. Be patient,31 Oct you have a good crop,all other events can adjust.But so far do nothing it's perfect. Gaz
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18 Sep 14, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
Fully in flower but plants have leaf curl.
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06 Aug 14, Bart Lea (Australia - temperate climate)
I should have said on the 5th. Plant during the waxng moon before the last Full moon of Winter.
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05 Aug 14, Bart Lea (Australia - temperate climate)
I was told that the pods begin to set when the warm Spring weather begins, so there's no need to plant them too early. I'm planting mine during the last New moon of winter.
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24 Jan 16, Sarah Day (Australia - temperate climate)
I agree, this also helps to avoid some of the frosts we have in central victoria.
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30 Jul 14, Linda (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Give them time. Sometimes they are slow but before long you'll start to see the flowers drop and the beans appear.
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Showing 61 - 70 of 266 comments
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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

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