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
    S S S S S          
    T T T T T          
    P P P P P          

(Best months for growing Broad Beans in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed

May: Will need supports if windy weather

  • 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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26 Aug 09, Kathryn (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes Max, Fava beans and Broad Beans are the same.
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24 Aug 09, Warren Cox (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My broad beans are about a metre high and have lots of flowers and are still flowering. When can I expect pods?
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19 Aug 09, Gary (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I have planted my beans and they are beginning to sprout. Do I need to stake them in any manner?
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16 Aug 09, nat (Australia - temperate climate)
Ken i think the BB plants are frost tolerant but it can affect the flowers so you may not get beans until after the frosts, im not 100% sure though.
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15 Aug 09, Jarrad (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Carol, I too live north of Brisbane and have broadbeans that are flowering but also do not know when to expect pods. The flowers always seem to attract plenty of bees but they are blackening as well. Not sure if this is supposed to happen...
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15 Aug 09, Carol (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live North of Brisbane,my broadbeans are flowering well,i have never grown them before so i dont know what to expect,do the pods come after the flowers.
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12 Aug 09, Ken (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Rosemary, mine are the same. Over a metre tall, flowers have been appearing for many weeks, but no fruit set yet. We are having good frosts but I thought broad beans were frost tolerant. I have no answers yet.
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12 Aug 09, max davey (Australia - temperate climate)
are broad beans and fava beans the same.For medical reasons I have been told to eat fava beans for my complaint.
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10 Aug 09, Rosemary Anderson (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Tall healthy BB plants with many flowers but none setting. Does anyone know the reason or remedy?
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08 Aug 09, Teash (Australia - temperate climate)
After my harvest of broad beans last year, we took them all out of the garden and placed them on a composting pile, you guessed it in about 2 months I have BB everywhere, so I have just let them go, I have had BB over the winter, not a lot but enough for 1 decent feed per week. My advice to all you BB lovers, if you get lots of ants, give them a good spray with some soapy water, you may need to do this weekly if you have the time. If you see lots of bees around your flowers you will have lots of BB. Last year I just placed a rope around the bottom of mine and one around midway up to try and keep them together. One can never have enough broadbeans, blanch them quickly and freeze them if you have to many, mine generally dont last that long. Hope I have helped you in some way.
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Showing 231 - 240 of 268 comments
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Hi Barry, I have had exactly the same problem this year (I am from Central Highlands of Victoria). It's hard to find any information about leaf curl on broad beans via the internet. I have noticed however that it's tended to affect my plants which were overseeded in smaller 25cm containers (most of my plants in larger containers don't have the curl). I suspect that the recent Spring heatwave (we had temps in the mid 30s) has something to do with it - broad beans do not tolerate temperatures above 23 degrees and will start to wilt and die off in the 30s. My diagnosis is probably the combination of unseasonal hot, dry weather and overcrowding is killing them off. This may be the same cause for you if you live in an area that experienced the heatwave. I think you can either leave them and see if they recover on their own, or (which is the course of action I will follow), cutting down the most badly affected plants and leaving some of the others to hopefully regenerate. All the best, P.

- Prometheus

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