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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04 Aug 18, Donna (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
thanks - we have no yard so grow bags are a good alternative to having the luxury of a patch of dirt I guess.
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09 Sep 18, Angela (Australia - temperate climate)
I haven’t had a lot of luck with the grow bags. My most successful containers have been the Greensmart pots. More expensive than grow bags but I have harvested lots of cherry tomatoes, eggplant, silverbeet, basil from them. They need watering less often than conventional pots.
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17 Jul 18, John. Spencer (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a good crop of broad beans growing in big pots. They are approx 10--15 weeks old & flowering , however on beans are forming. I have noticed no bees are around. I am in perth. John
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19 Jul 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Broad beans are usually slow to start setting fruit. If you check every few days, you will probably find some beans appearing. Broad beans have two methods of pollination,. Their primary method is self-pollination, in other words they do not need insects to produce a crop. However, they can also be pollinated by insect activity and will produce the best crop when pollinated using both methods. More here : www.gardenfocused.co.uk/vegetable/broad-beans.php
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18 Jul 18, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
i have never grown them. Normal beans when they flower have a little bean under the flower - this grows into the bean. Go on the internet and google growing BB in Perth.
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09 May 18, KB (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a smallish corner raised garden behind the woodshed where I have grown Pumpkins for the past two seasons and although my pumpkin crops have been magnificent (Queensland Blues) in my main Vegetable garden areas with several weighing in at over 5kg but this particular corner garden has only ever provided one average sized pumpkin and that was this past season. I have cleaned much of the worm droppings from my kitchen waste worm farm made two rows of troughs about 10 cm from the west facing fence and have added a line of the worm castings into the troughs and yesterday planted a packet of Broad Bean seeds into the troughs. cover and then watered these now raised mounds containing the seed. Having already provided climbing type stakes at the rear of the raised beds and will string tie the bean s to these supports when it is time to do so. The Season before last I had a bountiful supply of Broad Beans cropping for several weeks and was able to provide my non-gardening neighbours with bags full almost every week....the only problem I encountered were the mites which I think were the Rose garden pests that had swarmed all over the Broad Bean tops....so now asking if these little mites come and attack this latest crop what is the best remedy bearing in mind that I do not use chemical sprays as most of my garden veggies are edible types such as herbs, silverbeet and other similar foods, Cheers KB
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11 May 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Check to see if the small raised bed behind the woodshed is receive much sun. Most time limited sun - not much of a crop. Look on the internet for an organic spray for your broad beans.
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07 Mar 18, Leona Dubois (Canada - Zone 2b Sub-Arctic climate)
Hi there I am not sure what zone to really plant for as environment Canada changed the zone last year to zone 3b from zone 2b..we have over 2 feet of snow still and it was -15C when I got up this morning...what would you suggest?
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24 Oct 17, Mitchell Calcott (New Zealand - temperate climate)
What are some innovative ways of selling them?
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08 Jan 17, Liz (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted dwarf beans in Perth from March - May with success.
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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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