Growing Broad Beans, also Fava bean

Vicia faba : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	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

16 Sep 18, Dez (New Zealand - temperate climate): Yes bumble bees around everyday. maybe its a late season for Broad Beans?
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13 Sep 18, Dez (New Zealand - temperate climate): I've had my BB planted since March/April. They have heaps of flowers on them but there's no beans appearing. Have seen plently of bees to germinate them but still nothing. any ideas on what's gone wrong - with it now being sept??
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14 Sep 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): Dez, do you have bumble bees around ? They tend to shortcut the nectar gathering from BB flowers by piercing a hole though the back of the flower.
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01 Sep 18, warren (New Zealand - temperate climate): 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.
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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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18 Jul 10, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): Roger, we just leave all the stems and although they tend to flop around a bit, they all produce plenty of beans.
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25 May 10, Paul (New Zealand - temperate climate): How to prevent the plant falling down each other? "it is best to provide some support with posts and stringusing." I think the best way is to choose a proper time to sow. Sow in May or June rather than Mar or April. Because sow in winter, the plant grows slowly. During spring the plant will grow fast and strong that wouldn't fall.
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15 Dec 10, Scott (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): We top our broad beans and that helps them bush out; besides the fleshy plant tips are great for steaming...I like them better than spinach!
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09 Mar 10, Rob (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): @Lindsay, It's the roots that you plough back into the soil and that provides nitrogen(essential for foliage growth)
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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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Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Broad Beans, also Fava bean

Vicia faba : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Your comments and tips

GardenGrow

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Broad Beans, also Fava bean

Vicia faba : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Your comments and tips

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