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     P P      

(Best months for growing Broad Beans in New Zealand - cool/mountain 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 12, Marc (Australia - temperate climate)
What do I need to do to the soil where I m going to be planting my Broard beans is there any owpreperation I need to be doing I was going to be putting in sum orgain matter into the soil and also some other fertilizer I was just wondering when to know wen to pic them
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14 Nov 11, Kelvin (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have trouble with something eating into my broad beans. It leaves a black spot on the out side of the broad beans & also black on the inside as well.
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12 Oct 11, Tracey in Melbourne (Australia - temperate climate)
Are there still flowers on your plants? If it has finished flowering then you won't get any more beans.
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10 Oct 11, yvonne (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My broadbeans have yealded a good crop . Do I pull the plant out or do I leave it there to yeald again?
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27 Dec 11, (Australia - temperate climate)
leave a few pods on the bean plant until the plant shrivels and dies. Then collect the pods which will be black and shriveled and replant the seeds from these pods next year preferably in a different part of garden (for crop rotation)
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20 Sep 11, Steve (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi my broadbeans have startrd bearing beans the first ones are about 90 ml long but the new beans appear to be dying as soon as they start forming
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08 Sep 11, (Australia - temperate climate)
I had ants and plenty of flowers. I thought nothing was happening but be patient, every flower I thought was a no go has now produced a nice pod
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23 Jun 11, Karen Harris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live on the gold coast and have planted some beans, they have been growing very well, but today the leaves looked a bit sorry for themselves, we had a cold night last night, no frost, I think it went down to about 6 degrees. the soil was damp, so I have watered it again. Could this be the cold night's or something else? Any suggestions, this is my first time at planting, so far carrots, spring onions, Cos and capsicum are doing well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
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05 Jun 11, Paula (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I'm new to growing veggies. I planted broad beans in Mar/Apr - they've grown well and are tall and bushy, and have been flowering for a while....but no sign of any pods forming! (even where the flowers have died off) When can i expect to get beans? And is it possible the amount of ants on the plants is in some way preventing the beans from growing?
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07 Jun 11, (Australia - arid climate)
The ants are probably there feeding on honey-dew from blackfly. They won't be a problem in themselves. If the plants are at a flowering size then you can nip off the top leaves (and steam and eat them) as this will encourage the flowers to set.
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I am having this problem (flowers not pods), this year. I did plant in a different location and I think my issue is not enough sunlight for the beans to set pods; additionally I planted tightly as this is a new garden bed and I was using the favas to condition the soil as much as I was using them for bean production. My research and minimal experience with favas tells me that any of the following might cause the plants not to set pods: 1. Less than a half dozen hours of direct sunlight per day (also planting too tightly causes less sunlight per plant) 2. Not enough water; when the plants flower they need lots of water to set pods 3. Temperatures; too hot or too cold and no beans Despite the criteria, I have found fava beans very easy to grow; growing in soil where nothing else can manage and still getting a decent amount of pods per plant. Water is not an issue in my location, and temps are pretty much ideal for favas (almost all year round). Sunlight is the biggest issue for me as I live in a area with lots of large trees and winters here are mild but overcast. Early spring tends to be fairly overcast as well, and despite still getting 12 hours of daytime in September (fall for this area) the sunlight is not intense enough to get the beans to set pods. That is to say; if I plant at the correct time (based on daylight hours and what months I expect to have good sun intensity) the plants grow, flower and set pods rather quickly. If I plant in the offseason, the plants grow, flower and then I have a long wait until the sunlight is good enough to get my beans to set pods. It's the beginning of May(spring here), and I have favas with flowers that I planted back in or around August (late summer).... no "real" sign of pods yet (I did get a few over the course of the winter and early spring). I'm hoping to get pods in June or so. Again, I planted in part shade and I planted too tight, so much of the "not setting pods" issue was self created.

- Celeste Archer

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