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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Feb 17, 2013 14:00:11 GMT -5
Hi All,
I have quite a windy plot, and last year struggled with my Fava's falling over when I planted in double (staggered) rows about 6" apart both ways.
How do you plant your Fava's?
Ta
Rowan
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Post by 12540dumont on Feb 17, 2013 15:18:09 GMT -5
Does the wind consistently come from the same direction?
Since our wind almost always comes from the Northwest, I almost always start my rows running North to South. You may want to start a shorter variety. The tall ones do tend to blow over.
Where you live do they sell construction fence (rolled up neon green or orange fencing?) Ugly plastic stuff, but makes a great windbreak.
Have you tried Lupini, they go in at the same time as Favas and are stiffer of stem. I love favas, I have 2 file drawers full of seed from last year. I have a wee fava trial going on this year.
I have been adding a new variety to my favas every year for the last 10 years. The good thing about this is that favas outcross wildly and now I have a shorter/taller/drought/flood fava. Many of the folks here contributed to the fava collection.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Feb 17, 2013 16:03:23 GMT -5
I wish it were so simple. I live in the flatlands, where the wind comes and goes as it feels with no rhyme or reason.
We do have the construction netting, I cannot abide it ;D
True about the shorter variety, my only concern being production given my limited space.
I will try messing with the pattern, maybe seed them closer. I have 4 varieties with small seed numbers which I will be planting seperately and purely using for seed bulking this year. My main variety will be Lunga Delle Cascine.
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Post by davida on Feb 17, 2013 16:22:43 GMT -5
Hi All, I have quite a windy plot, and last year struggled with my Fava's falling over when I planted in double (staggered) rows about 6" apart both ways. How do you plant your Fava's? Ta Rowan Rowan, As a disclaimer, I know nothing about raising favas and have never raised favas. But thanks to Holly, I will be raising favas this year and did a little research. Our area is also windy to very windy at times. During spring storms, we will get 60 to 80 mph winds and I needed to plant the favas early to have any chance of a spring crop. What made the most sense for my garden was a recommendation to plant the favas in a 4 foot by 4 foot block and set 4 T-posts on each corner and put string around the entire area. They said to plant 5 inches apart with rows 18 inches apart. Then thin to 10 inches apart. So I planted in a raised bed that was 7 feet wide with an 8 foot long area. The seed were to precious to thin so I planted 9 inches apart with 18 inch rows. Then I will put string around the entire area when needed. If more support is needed, I can easily divide the area into 4 or more blocks or even support every row, if needed. I also read to plant with the brown eye down. The forecast was for rain and I wanted to get the seed in the ground immediately or I would have asked Holly if this sounded reasonable. So now I will ask, does this sound reasonable, Holly and others? David |
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 17, 2013 16:51:25 GMT -5
Hi All, I have quite a windy plot, and last year struggled with my Fava's falling over when I planted in double (staggered) rows about 6" apart both ways. How do you plant your Fava's? Ta Rowan Rowan, As a disclaimer, I know nothing about raising favas and have never raised favas. But thanks to Holly, I will be raising favas this year and did a little research. Our area is also windy to very windy at times. During spring storms, we will get 60 to 80 mph winds and I needed to plant the favas early to have any chance of a spring crop. What made the most sense for my garden was a recommendation to plant the favas in a 4 foot by 4 foot block and set 4 T-posts on each corner and put string around the entire area. They said to plant 5 inches apart with rows 18 inches apart. Then thin to 10 inches apart. So I planted in a raised bed that was 7 feet wide with an 8 foot long area. The seed were to precious to thin so I planted 9 inches apart with 18 inch rows. Then I will put string around the entire area when needed. If more support is needed, I can easily divide the area into 4 or more blocks or even support every row, if needed. I also read to plant with the brown eye down. The forecast was for rain and I wanted to get the seed in the ground immediately or I would have asked Holly if this sounded reasonable. So now I will ask, does this sound reasonable, Holly and others? David Well the "brown eye down" makes sense, then the hypocotyl is pointing straight down (it pretty much always makes sense to plant seeds so that when the radicle emerges it won't have to bend to point in the right direction) I'm really in no position to comment on spacing. The 4-5 favas I have started are going to be in a pretty tight block, since I had to start them indoors in a pot and when they go out, I suspect thier root systems will be too entwined to safely seperate. |
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Post by 12540dumont on Feb 18, 2013 1:33:16 GMT -5
Good God Davida, I can send you a whole box of favas if you need them! Go ahead and experiment. It will make you wise, crazy, or darn right smug. Nothing like putting some seed in and see what it does. I keep hoping it will hold your soil against the winds. Folks plant them Fall and Spring. They need a bit of cold and wet to do well. These are the fall planted ones, except I didn't plant this year. These are wild seed from last year. Attachments:
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Post by robertb on Feb 21, 2013 11:31:41 GMT -5
Yours are good, Dumont. They were one of the few varieties which pulled through despite all the waterlogging I had last year.
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Post by richardw on Feb 21, 2013 14:05:12 GMT -5
I'm in the middle of harvesting my broad bean or fava seed at the moment and the sowing of wheat at the same time which involves throwing it over the top before each plant is pulled out,i also use the hula hoe to work the seed in around the plants. For me gardening in the Southern ocean means contending with lots of strong winds from the northwesterly direction right around to strong southerlies and so i think it about as Holly mentioned developing a line of fava's to stand up to wind.What i find is this,firstly i dont plant in rows as the beans get sown while i'm harvesting corn seed in the autumn ,the seed is thrown over the top of the corn while still standing then the corn plants are slashed down to cover over the bean seed,the area is then kelp damp for a week or so so that the fava's can send the roots down into the ground. When i go through the Fava beds harvesting the seed i find that about 20% fall over even if they are in the middle of the beds where you would think they are supported by the others,these plants tend to have smaller seed than the still standing plants so often i dont bother taking the seed from these even if the seed is for on selling,the seed used for the following years sowing is about selecting from the stronger plants that stand up to the wind but also size/number of seed pods. As you can see in the photo most of the fava's are still standing even though they are as high as shoulder height.  |
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