Up to 90 days. Fava beans are a popular type of bean all around the world. Growing in stalks that can reach up to six feet, pods are accompanied by white and dark flowers, which pollinators are drawn to. Fava beans thrive in cooler temperatures, making them great for fall planting. In addition to producing delicious beans, tilling the stalk’s cover crop into the soil can release the nitrogen content of the stalk, making this a very practical addition to your garden.Also great as a cover crop to add nitrogen to the soil.
Growing Fava Bean Broad Windsor Garden Seeds
- Latin Name: Vicia faba
- Other Names:
- Days to Maturity: 80-90 days
- Hardiness Zone: 8-9
- Planting Depth: 1-2"
- Plant Spacing: 6-8"
- Row Spacing: 18-24"
- Growth Habit: Upright
- Soil Preference: Loose soil, PH level of 6 to 7 preferred
- Temp Preference: Warmer
- Light Preference: Full sun is required.
- Pests/diseases: Aphids
- Color: Green
- Flavor: Juicy, crunchy consistency
- Cover Crop: Adds nitrogen to the soil.
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Seeds Per Package:
- 30 g Packet - Approximately 18 Seeds
- 1 lb - Approximately 300 Seeds
- 5 lb - Approximately 1,500 Seeds
- 25 lb - Approximately 7,500 Seeds
Start by sowing the seeds one to two inches deep in a cool, damp soil, with three to six inches between seeds and twelve to thirty inches between rows. During hot weather, the seeds will need one fourth of an inch of watering each day. It is best to avoid getting the leaves wet, as this can cause diseases in the plant that can affect the production of beans. The fava beans will need a source of support, such as a pole or a trellis. The stalks should grow to be anywhere between two to six feet tall, and the pods can be picked when they are three to five inches long. Fava stalks contain nitrogen, which can be tilled and worked into your soil to release the nitrogen content back into the ground.
Broad Windsor Fava Beans will grow in temperatures as low as 40 degrees or as high as 70 degrees. When you plant fava beans, plant them in full sun in a loose well drained soil. Fava beans need a rich soil to grow in so add some organic matter to your fava bean soil. Manure or compost works well for an organic material. Once the fava beans are planted keep the soil moist until the beans sprout. Then only water them when the soil dries out. When the fava beans are flowering you should keep the soil moist again so they can produce pods. The plants are most often harvested in the green shell stage when they first reach full size, but before the skins start to toughen. At this time, the pod will still be quite soft and the seed will not be much bigger than a penny. Gathered at this time, the seeds are tender and delicious.
When used as a cover crop, fava bean plants do a great job of pulling nitrogen out of the atmosphere and making it available in the soil to other plants when tilled under.
Read more about Cover Crops:
- True Leaf Market Blog - Cover Crops the Why, What, When, and How