Home » Plants & Animals » Vegetable Gardens » Fava beans

Fava beans

© Arzeena Hamir

If your soil isn't frozen yet and you're not expecting the temperatures to go less than 20F during the winter, you can still get away with planting fava beans. Favas, also known as broad beans, horse beans, or English beans, originated in North Africa. They soon spread to Europe, Egypt, and China where they were prized for their high protein content.

Favas are not true beans but belong to the vetch family. Most plants grow to shoulder height, depending on the variety, and can tolerate heavy clay soils that tend to be waterlogged. The lavender-coloured flowers are scented and tend to attract numerous bees and pollinating insects.

How to eat Favas

The beans, themselves, are highly nutritious and are second to only soybeans for protein content. Even the young greens are tasty and make a welcome addition to spring salads at a time when fresh greens are sparse.

In early spring, the whole pods are eaten as snap beans while still immature. As the seeds develop, the shells become tough and need to be removed. The young beans can then be eaten at the green stage, like limas. As favas mature, the seeds develop a thick jacket. Many find the taste of this jacket bitter and find it necessary to peel them off before eating.

When left to mature fully on the plant, favas can be harvested for dry beans and can be cooked as you would any other dry bean

Try the Fava Bean Provencale recipe here

How to grow Favas

For eating, plant seeds 5" apart in double rows. Seeds should be planted deeply (2-3") to help them withstand light frost. Staking the ends of the rows and supporting the rows with string will help prevent the plants from falling over.

For a green manure crop, first apply innoculant to the soil, especially if you've never grown favas before. The innoculant contains bacteria, Rhizobia, that will allow the fava plants to fix their own nitrogen from the air. The seeds should be broadcast thickly, 4-5 pounds per 1000 square feet. In late April, early May, till the plants under to take advantage of the extra nitrogen they've fixed.

Pest Problems

Aphids usually strike favas in the sprintime when the plants are full of succulent shoots. By pinching off these shoots, you can not only help reduce the infestation, but also encourage the plant to set seed faster. If the aphid problem is more serious, soap sprays are very effective.