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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19 Aug 10, Mark (Australia - temperate climate)
I have the same issue with my beans, wondering if it's a soil nutrient imbalance?
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20 Aug 10, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
They take a long time, i planted mine in mid April, (coastal sub-trpopical)i i have lots of small pods now, my father who is an hour south of me (Temperate) has got loads of flowers but no pods he planted in late april. Not sure about nutrients but my patch is based on horse manure and seaweed from my beach.
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10 Jul 10, Keenonveg (United Kingdom - cool/temperate climate)
I have had good results from autumn planted BBs over the years, but for the last two years the plants have only flowered on the bottom few inches. Those flowers produced nice pods, but were gone in a fortnight, with no more to follow! What am I doing wrong????
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03 Jul 10, Margaret (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
When you pick out the tops, don't throw them in the compost, they are lovely chopped up and put in with your stir fry vegetables.
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01 Jul 10, Margaret (Australia - temperate climate)
My broad bean plants look healthy and come into flower but the beans aren't setting. There are lots of bees around so I am assuming it is not a pollination problem. Has anyone come across this before? Margaret
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03 Jul 10, Fiona (Australia - temperate climate)
I had the same problem last year. Turns out I sowed them too early. Don't worry though, they will start to set when the weather is right. We still had a really good crop in the end :-)
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18 Jun 10, JC (Australia - temperate climate)
What do you mean by pick the tops out?
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19 Jun 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
It means to pick off the top-most shoots so the plant stops growing upwards.
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11 Jun 10, John Woodward (Australia - temperate climate)
I also have broadbeans with curled leaves cannot find anything causing it. Seem to be growing OK but I don't know how they will go come time to flower.
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01 Jun 10, Candice bartels-waller (Australia - temperate climate)
My beans are finished fo the year do I rip them out or will they re-produce beans nxt year?
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Showing 261 - 270 of 344 comments
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ok i live near the sea in eastern southland my advice from very experenced gardeners in winton to plant broad beans very early august or before that.... i have always found that you can plant them later before xmas and obtain a good crop if you plant early in cold ground its not going to get there quicker . i dont think that the ground will be at 6 deg on the first day of spring What is your thoughts any how. another comment on blanching, then freezing all it will do is change the colour to a dull grey the fact is that it is going to be cooked any how, i stopped blanching ages ago.

- warren

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