Fava Beans?

[johno]

I tried growing Fava beans a few years ago with disappointing results. I'd like to try it again this fall, and I'd like to plant a bulk amount, so getting it right is important.

I wonder if anyone has much experience growing them successfully, and if you would give me some pointers? Also wondering if anyone can recommend a good variety that would grow in these local conditions: clay-ish soil, mild winter until January/February, low altitude (maybe 300ft. above sea level?) Last soil test recommended adding nitrogen, which I did this spring in the form of cottonseed meal and soybean meal, with a little alfalfa meal thrown in for good measure. I'm not sure what other environmental factors apply for growing Favas.

(Can't mention or hear "Fava beans" without thinking of that line from 'Silence of the Lambs' - thpp thpp thpp! I'll have to get a nice Chianti to go with the meal. )

[canadamike]

I am growing some in clay myself and they don't bother. It is around 45 here at night now and they really don't mind. Johno, the place that has a reputation fot growing them in Canada is LAC ST-JEAN, in Quebec, and we are talking the northern limit for agriculture on the east of this continent. They sow them as soon as soil is workable, which means many frosts are still coming after and they take it.

I have seeds of " la petite gourgane du Lac St-Jean" or once translated, the small fava bean of Lake St-John. It HAS to be one of the toughest. Maybe I could send you some, which would help me NOT to forget to send your book again.... ;D I have a pound for you should you want it, and apparently the innoculant we use for other beans works on them. I put some, but since it is my first year growing them, I can't really compare...

[johno]

Sounds good, Michel. I'll give them a try.

[canadamike]

They shouls leave tuesday with the book.

[johno]

Thanks.

[johno]

I recieved the favas and peas yesterday - thanks Michel!

[canadamike]

My pleasure , friend...

[pjkobulnicky]

Sorry .... new to the site and late to this post.

I grow Favas every year as a vegetable and also, separately, as a cover crop. I don't know what variety I grow because i just pick up some dried beans at our local middle-eastern market and plant them. They grow fine.

Favas need cool/cold soil to germinate properly. They prefer to be planted in the cool fall and then to winter over. Obviously this doesn't work if one's winter temps fall below 20F or so. The books say that some (lke Windsor) are good to 12F but I don't believe it ... have never experienced it.

In NE Ohio I plant my eating crop as soon as the ground thaws in the spring (or when temps are unlikely to get below 20F when the plants are up). It is then a race to get to a crop in June before the heat of summer does the plants in. I usually get 3-4 good meals from 2, 24' rows. You have to know when to pick them because the pods are so fat and fibrous you can't easily tell how big the beans inside are ... and then if they get too big you may have to take the second shell off of the bean itself before cooking.

But ... they are worth all of the effort. They are terrific in a risotto.

As for using them as a cover crop ... plant them in the mid fall and chop the plants into the ground before they die from the cold or plant them in the earlt spring and chop them into the ground before you use the space for transplants.

Paul

[potagere]

Because my Scots friends all grow inordinate amounts of favas, I thought I'd give them a try one year. My garden then was smaller than what I have now, so I didn't plant too many but, in any case, the crop I got was just not worth the bother.
Last year, my local seed supplier was offering a new variety : 'Piccola", with shorter plants and bright green pods and beans. I grew 2 6-ft double rows of these, as well as transplanting the "extras" (as I had nearly 100% germination) to 1-metre-circumference circle around a young apple tree. By June, when I wanted the space for tomatoes and the plants were beginning to give up to anthracnose, we had had several meals and had several quarts in the freezer.

Excellent flavour and a really fine variety which I highly recommend where you can find it.

[loki]

In Arkansas you may want to grow them and overwinter them. But the Canadian varities are not going to be adapted to that, they grown them in the summer as do they in the UK. So you should look for Mediterranean varities (maybe harder to find), that will overwinter better.

I am trying Lanto's Return from the Seed Ambassadors Project, bred to overwinter in OR. www.seedambassadors.org/.

Contrary to what I just said, however, I am growing them for early spring planting (already 1.5 feet tall now) and early summer harvest. I started them inside in January. It gets so hot here in summer I want them to mature earlier. Here in zone 5 I have little chance of overwintering them - but I may try with the seeds I save from this planting.

These are purple beans, which are supposed to be much hardier (They are green when young). They are also exceptionally large. Nearly 100 percent germination too!

[robertb]

In the UK the standard broad bean (our name) for overwintering is Aquadulce Claudia. I don't know what temperature they'll go down to but they're pretty tough. I had problems last year; they were OK till February, and by the end of the month half had died. I suspect that was wet ratehr than cold, as my plot is susceptible to waterlogging. This year I chickened out and planted them in the spring.

[clarkfoodfarm]

May 27, 2009 8:43:13 GMT -5 loki said:

In Arkansas you may want to grow them and overwinter them. But the Canadian varities are not going to be adapted to that, they grown them in the summer as do they in the UK. So you should look for Mediterranean varities (maybe harder to find), that will overwinter better.

I am trying Lanto's Return from the Seed Ambassadors Project, bred to overwinter in OR. www.seedambassadors.org/.

Contrary to what I just said, however, I am growing them for early spring planting (already 1.5 feet tall now) and early summer harvest. I started them inside in January. It gets so hot here in summer I want them to mature earlier. Here in zone 5 I have little chance of overwintering them - but I may try with the seeds I save from this planting.

These are purple beans, which are supposed to be much hardier (They are green when young). They are also exceptionally large. Nearly 100 percent germination too!

loki,

I received some of the Ianto's Return Favas from SAP this year too. I'm curious to hear how yours turn out. Didn't really have the space for them this year, so mine willl go in next Spring. I've always planted the Windsor variety in the past. Mine are actually very close to harvest after last week's heat wave.

BTW, I direct sow my favas in "Spring" (February) here in the PDX area with consistently good results. FWIW, I have had about a 50% overwinter survival rate without using intentional freeze protection. I found this out about five years ago when I cut them down to the ground to allow the roots to decompose in the beds, but lo and behold, they came back to life the following Spring! I imagine that the plants would overwinter fine if I actually tried to keep them going.

[silverseeds]

could someone maybe explain how to grow them a little clearer. Ive tried two years now, I average, about four pods a plant. I planted them early spring still had a few ligtht frosts, still it gets to hot for them it seems. Im growing broad windsor, and aquadulce or something like that. Pretty common varieties I think. Should I be planting them alot earlier or something? or as a fall crop? I have enough seeds for one more go around.

[mnjrutherford]

You need innoculant in the soil. Patrick W is rather knowledgable in this area and can help you source it as well. Get in touch with him!

[robertb]

If you're overwintering them, plant about October. I'm going by the UK climate; you may need to adapt the method. If you plant them too early, they grow big before winter; you want small plants if they're going to get through. As I said before, I don't know what the minimum temperature would be, but they don't like waterlogging! After last year, I didn't dare try to overwinter them, but I planted them late, and the hot weather in June finished them. I just can't win! If I'm planting in spring again, I'll probably start them in February.