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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30 Apr 14, Emma (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I planted a crop of broad beans 10 days ago and there are no shoots and some of the seeds have just somehow come to the surface without taking. There was a few days of very heavy rainfall after I planted them. If they do not come up in the next few days should I plant another crop?
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01 May 14, Travis Edwards (Australia - temperate climate)
poke them back in and wait another week or so if none have popped replant. I recommend a variety called gippsland giant they have great flavour and grow well in temperate climates!
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28 Apr 14, Robert Wilcox (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, is it ok to plant dwarf beans or scarlet runner this time of year ( April). Kind regs, Bob W.
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01 May 14, Travis Edwards (Australia - temperate climate)
NO they will not grow well through winter plant broad beans now and your others come spring when no chance of frost.
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02 Apr 14, Samir Elchami (Australia - temperate climate)
Is the manure good for broad beans or what is the best fertilizer
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08 Mar 14, Maria Parlevliet (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Will broad beans grow in a sub-tropical climate and if so when should they be planted
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26 Dec 13, Michael (Australia - temperate climate)
This year I've had a fairly good crop of broad beans (Fava beans) in my small back yard. I left them to grow wild with grass and weeds growing around because it is impossible to eradicate them, especially if the beans are often watered during dry spells, and weedicide is not an option. Each stem had at least from 6 to eight pods of about 6 inches long or smaller. Maybe it is a smaller type of broad beans but quite delicious. I have had no problems with pests, mainly the white butterflies who roster on the plants in the evenings, but I did notice extensive brown powdery colour on their leaves. Not intending to spray the plants, I hosed most of it off the leaves but the damage had already been done to the leaves, however, the plants seemed to cope will with what looks like brown fungal residue. I planted my broad beans early October and they have grown well. I planted another patch near if and now are 5 inches (15cm) high. Looks like I will get another crop on late February provided they get water and or rain. There has been no snail damage whatsoever, as I keep these pests in check with snail pellets around the perimeter of the crop. I have also noticed a number of Ladybugs on the broad beans leaves. I let them stay as these beautiful insects monitor the plants for suspected pest activities such as Aphids, etc.
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08 Nov 13, Bob smith (Australia - temperate climate)
My beans have stopped growing.... Why?
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02 Mar 14, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Bob, Your beans are probably given up due to the heat. Broad beans grow better in the cooler weather in subtropical areas.
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25 Oct 13, Carol (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted my broad beans around our fruit trees which are netted to keep the kangaroos and deer away from them and I have a great crop. Have now planted tomatoes in early October under the broad beans as I figured they would be protected from the elements and warm and they are doing well. Just read on this site not to dig the broadbeans out but cut them off and leave the roots there as they will be beneficial to the soil, I will use the rest of the plants in my compost. So thank you.
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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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