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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13 Jun 11, Tracey (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Paula, Broad beans are insect pollinated but pollinators such as bees are not very active during cold weather. Blossom drop is not unusual if temperatures are too cool or if the flowers are not getting pollinated. That's why it's a good idea to try to time planting so the broad beans are flowering just as the spring weather warms and the bees are appearing in numbers. In my area Sept to early Oct, your area may be different - observation and note taking will be helpful for next year's crop. You should eventually get beans on this year's sowing, but for next season you might want to time planting for a bit later and use the space for a fast maturing catch crop before the broad beans go in.
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04 Jun 11, Jan (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted broadbeans this year and some of my seeds have come up and some not, could it be the seed or something else I am doing? Are the seed already planted likely to come up? I looked where I had planted and found the seeds however they don't look like sprouting. Please help
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25 Mar 11, (United Kingdom - warm/temperate climate)
Could be they have rotted. Maybe the soil was to cold & wet !
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12 Mar 11, jim (Australia - temperate climate)
i planted broad bean seeds and snopea seed in seed raising mix and they have totally dissapeared any ideas please
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04 Apr 11, Caren (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Jim - they could have been taken by ants and stored for a later date - that is what happened to most of my seeds for the last 4 months. Now as most of the ants are dead I have got seeds popping up all over the place.
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25 Mar 11, Brad (Australia - temperate climate)
Just an idear Jim, but did you water only once after sowing? I've read that you must only water once to provent rotting, maybe your bean seeds just decomposed into the potting mix?
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05 Mar 11, liz newell (Australia - temperate climate)
can I use dried broadbeans from supermarket to plant? I dont have seeds from last year. Do I have to buy lots of packets from a nursery for a mass planting for my school garden? Thanks
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27 Mar 11, (Australia - temperate climate)
HI LIZ, SAVE YOUR MONEY BUY BULK DRIED BROAD BEANS FROM THE MARKET IF YOU HAVE ONE. SOAK FOR 24 HOURS, THEN PLANT OUT, DO NOT OVERWATER JUST KEEP SOIL MOIST. I BOUGHT 2 KG OF BEANS FROM ADELAIDE MARKET 2 YEARS AGO FOR $3 AND AM STILL PLANTING THEM
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14 Mar 11, kennykolal (Australia - temperate climate)
hi yes to supermarket beans,i bought mine from italian deli $2.00 for agood sized bag,fava beans are good also but grow to 2mts high,
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08 Mar 11, leeroy (Australia - temperate climate)
you can it will work out cheaper but you dont know what variety your growing.
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Showing 221 - 230 of 344 comments
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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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