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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02 Dec 21, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
The kill temperature for Fava Beans ranges from about -4c to -10c depending on the variety. Furthermore the temperature needs to be sustained; that is 2 minutes at -4c will not kill the fava bean plant; neither will an hour (most likely).... but 48 hours of temperatures consistently below -4c might. When the cold temperature is sustained the cells of the plant explode (freeze); it is the "water transportation system" that gets damaged and the plant can't continue. If you are expecting colder than average temperatures (or colder than you expect your fava beans to be able to handle) - you can cover them with plastic (clear if your keeping it on - anything if you are just putting it on top of them overnight). Tent style is best, but umbrella style (no sides) is also helpful. The most difficult time for the plants is usually around 4am when the "dew" settles, if during cold temp days you can get the plants covered overnight not only will the soil help keep them warm, you are keeping that cold morning sweat off them which can really do considerable damage if temps are cold. Also, high winds work like the morning dew; transporting the cold temperatures into the plant more readily.
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20 Dec 21, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
I forgot to mention - if you have hummingbirds in your area - fava beans will produce some flowers during your overwintering process and provide some much needed food for humming birds (as do hellebores/lenten roses).
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24 Aug 21, Tony (New Zealand - temperate climate)
You can plant anytime and if there is a frost, the plants will fall over but recover, albeit looking a bit unkempt.
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26 Aug 21, Richard Stancliffe (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Nice. Thanks Tony
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22 Jun 21, Barry Beasley (Australia - temperate climate)
Last year my broad beans grew well, they flowered but did not form pods. I have not struck this problem in the past. Do you have suggestios as to why they did not produce pods?
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28 Mar 21, Michael Garbutt (Australia - temperate climate)
Do broad beans tolerate transplanting? Or should they go straight into position?
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29 Mar 21, (Australia - temperate climate)
A trick I saw the other week is dig the trench in the soil, place the seeds in it, then cover with fine potting mix.
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29 Mar 21, (Australia - temperate climate)
When planting seeds to transplant it is best to have them in a cell tray pack so that they establish a good root system before transplanting - 4-6 true leave stage. OR if your are transplanting fairly bare rooted transplants then protect them from the sun for the first week. OR if planting seeds in ground, wet the soil the day before, plant the seeds, give a light watering and don't water again for 3-4 days and then only a light watering. If seeds are too wet and hot temperature they will rot in the soil.
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14 Apr 21, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for above info on planting seeds. Q. Is this only for broad beans, or does it apply to planting all seeds?
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04 Mar 21, gary (Australia - temperate climate)
what soil preparation is best for broad beans,my crops are getting less every year?
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Showing 31 - 40 of 344 comments
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Update June 01, 2021 - I have lots and lots of fava beans - and am continuing to get more and more. It looks like it will take until the end of the month to bring them all in. So these beans will take about 320 days from planting to full harvest. The haul was great and I am pleased with the overwintering process - very pleased. The beans that I planted in spring are still a ways off from producing beans -- the plants are also much smaller, and I doubt they will put forth as many beans as the favas that were overwintered. The overwintered favas are a mess, with the tarp damage and some favas rocketing up to what looks to be 9 feet, reaching for the sun (they are in a shady location) - but I am pleased. If I had only grown the spring planted favas, I might have given up on favas all together...... but overwintering seems to be the key here in Victoria, British Columbia for a really good crop of beans...... and I would even grow these in the winter for the greens -- they take a bit of getting use to (as did spinach for me when I was a child) -- but once you get use to the greens they are great. The greens taste like fava beans, and not like any other green. I have a few corrections from my first few posts: 1. when I said I lost 1/3 of the plants that were not covered during the really cold week --- it should have said I lost a third of each plant that was not tarped: so if the plant was 9 feet, I had to cut it back to 6feet. The number of plants actually lost was zero. While I only lost a portion of SOME of the tarped plants and when there was a loss it was about 10% of the plant. Also the plants not covered where in a much windier location (think one step and your off a 12 foot drop and in the Pacific Ocean--so lots of wind) -- the plants that were covered where a couple of meters away from the drop off, and there is noticeably less wind there. So whether or not the tarp really makes a difference here is still debatable; the difference may have been wind chill. 2. when I said I used the fava bean leaves as a garnish in my soups over the winter; it was really more akin to a side salad on top of my soup -- big handful of leaves -- sometime harvested based on a branch breaking due to wind. Stems were ground into pesto. Again, I'm very pleased with overwintering my favas; and expect that in the future I will only overwinter rather than spring plant. Winters here are RAINY with lows at about -2 (and extreme lows as cold as -6 last winter), it is also overcast here during the winter with very few sun breaks.... luckily I get a lot of reflection off the water when the sun does peak through. I grew 4 varieties of fava; including the extra early violets; all performed well; the violets are the prettiest if you take them to the dried pod stage; they all taste about the same.

- FaithCeleste Archer

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