How to grow Fava Beans

Where to plant

Fava beans do best in full sun in well drained loam that is neutral or slightly acid. Oregon State advises liming if the pH is below about 5.6. Like peas, they germinate and grow well in cool soil, and they stop setting pods once the weather turns hot.

In Florida, the Gulf South, Texas, the desert and Southern California, sow from fall through winter and harvest before spring heat arrives. In Northern California and the mild Pacific Northwest, sow in fall to overwinter, using a cold hardy variety such as Aquadulce Claudia, or in late winter and early spring. Across the colder North, sow as soon as the soil can be worked in spring.

Choosing a variety

Broad Windsor is the large seeded classic for spring sowing. Aquadulce Claudia is cold hardy and suits fall sowing in mild winter areas. Coles Dwarf Prolific is a short type for windy gardens. Small seeded types are grown mostly as cover crops and animal feed.

How to plant

1. Dig in compost if the soil is poor. Where favas have not grown before, a pea and bean inoculant helps the roots fix nitrogen.
2. Sow the large seeds about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) deep and about 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) apart, in rows 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) apart, or in double rows.
3. Water once after sowing and then only lightly until shoots appear, as seeds rot in cold, soggy soil.
4. Thin to about 8 inches (20 cm) apart if seedlings are crowded.
5. Put in stakes and string along each side of the row before the plants get tall, to stop them falling over in wind and rain.

Watering and feeding

Keep the soil moist but not soggy, especially from flowering through pod fill. Sandy soils need watering more often than heavier ones. Winter rain often covers the needs of fall sown crops in mild climates.

Fava beans fix their own nitrogen, so they need little fertilizer. Compost dug in before sowing is usually enough.

Pruning and care through the year

• Pinch out the soft growing tips once the first pods begin to form. It helps pods fill and removes the shoots black bean aphids like most. The tips can be cooked as greens.
• Support tall plants with stakes and string.
• Rotate favas with other crops each year to reduce soil borne disease.
• After harvest, cut the plants at ground level and leave the roots in the soil to release their nitrogen, or dig the whole plant in as green manure.

Harvesting

Pick pods for fresh beans when they are plump and slightly glossy and the beans inside are full size but still bright green. Shell them, then blanch the beans briefly and slip off the pale outer skin of larger beans. Young, finger length pods can be cooked whole.

Oregon State notes spring sown varieties take about 130 to 150 days to dry seed and overwintered ones about 240 days, with green beans ready about 30 days sooner. For dry beans, leave the pods on the plant until they turn black and dry.

Growing in pots

Dwarf varieties grow in a large pot at least 12 inches (30 cm) wide and deep. Space plants about 6 inches apart and give them a little support.