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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01 Mar 13, Doreen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
When is the best time to grow Broad beans in Melbourne & what are their needs fertilizer wise for best results please?
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21 Mar 13, Glenn (Australia - temperate climate)
Ive only just planted mine last week,I'm in melb too.I use mushroom mulch,they really then don't need alot of maintenance.
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23 Mar 13, Andrew S (Australia - temperate climate)
Only thing I do is water them and put some support for them as the wind usually play havoc on them
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07 Nov 12, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Helen, Whether you get more broad beans will depend on the weather at this point. If it stays cool enough for the flowers to set to fruit then you may get more broad beans. However if the weather turns hot again, you may find the new flowers don't produce any fruit. We've just picked a lovely second crop on our beans - but now we're about to pull them up as it's now getting too hot, so we'll dig them in for the next crop
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05 Nov 12, don andrew (Australia - temperate climate)
been growing broad beans many years lately i have been getting rust on leaves what is causing this and how can i prevent and treat my plants are 2 metres high with plenty of beans regards don
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13 Jan 13, Terry Parker (Australia - temperate climate)
I plant mustard as a green manure and bio fumigant in beds that have rust etc. before next crop.
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04 Nov 12, Helen (Australia - temperate climate)
Do the broad bean plants have a second lot of flowers/beans? I've had a reasonable harvest, just wondering if I should dig them in now or if they may produce more. Also need to work out whether I should be dedicating water to them, in this year of no rain.
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29 Oct 12, Pam (Australia - temperate climate)
When do broad beans finish producing in Sydney, not quite sure when to start pulling them out. Also read it is good to dig the finish stalks into the ground. Is this a good idea. Thank you Pam
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01 Nov 12, Paul (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Pam, I recall Peter Cundell (from ABC Gardening show in Tassie) talking about eating his broad beans at Xmas. So I would suggest your beans should continue producing til end of November. I'm in Melb and mine continue to produce til at around November 30-ish. After that I will be cutting my bean stalks off at around soil level, leaving the roots in the ground (and the nitrogen in those roots still in the ground) and planting my next crop next to the old bean roots. The rest of the stalk goes on the compost. Hope this helps.
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25 Sep 12, Joy (Australia - tropical climate)
I planted around june, have aboundant flowers, and many set fruit, but they are very small, & hard to get off the vine, I need to cut with knife!. should i have planted earlier? will further beans continue now it is getting so warm here, 24-29 deg C (Gold Coast) thanku, if you can help,
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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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