Fava beans
Vegetable · cool season · also called broad bean
When to plant
- Sow seeds outdoors about 6 weeks before your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 85 days after planting.
Cold-tolerant bean; stops setting pods in heat. Fall-sow in zone 8+.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Toxic parts. Can cause a dangerous reaction in people with G6PD deficiency (favism).
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- 6–8 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 40°F
- Time to harvest
- About 85 days
- Containers
- At least 3 gallons
- Plant family
- Bean and pea family (legumes)
- Harvest per plant
- About 0.3 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Keep apart: the onion family (alliums). Onions and garlic can stunt beans and peas.
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunflower. Sunflowers release compounds that can slow beans.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Pests and problems
Grow it well
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