How to Grow Broad Beans
The broad bean, also known as the fava bean, is a species commonly cultivated all over the world, though it is native to northern Africa and southwest Asia. Many traditions, legends and uses involving the broad bean come out of Egypt, Greece, Italy and Portugal, among others. In general broad beans are a hardy plant and can be counted on as an essential part of your diet that you can grow yourself.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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How to Grow Broad Beans
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1
Prepare the soil in your garden for planting. The soil should be free of weeds, large rocks and should be freshly tilled. Planting broad beans will continue to benefit the condition of your soil too because legumes fix nitrogen in the soil.
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2
Calculate how much of your garden you wish to devote to broad beans. They grow to be fairly large plants. If buying the seeds from a seed catalog, for instance, you will have the option of purchasing the beans in a small 2 oz. packet or ½ lb or 1-lb. sacks. 1 lb. of broad bean seeds will plant approximately 75 feet of a garden row. If you wish to plant a smaller section of broad beans a 2 oz. packet has approximately 35 to 40 seeds inside.
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3
Sow the seeds in late April or early May so the bean plants will mature in early summer when nights are sill cool. According to Stokes brand seeds, these extra large lima-like beans love cold soil.
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4
Care for the plants by protecting them from being disturbed by animals. There are many fence systems that help keep animals out and are preferable to chemical deterrents. Keep soil slightly moist and do not let it become overflooded or too dry. Besides general care, broad beans are an easy plant to grow, which is why they thrive in so many locations.
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5
Pick the broad beans after about 65 days. The pods should be about 7 to 10 inches depending on the variety you have chosen to plant and should contain 6 to 8 light-green seeds inside each pod. The plants themselves can grow to be about 2 feet tall. These delicious beans can be used for freezing, shelled and dried, cooked or for fresh market.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Start the beans under glass or in a protected greenhouse to enable an earlier harvest. Also, when the plants start to gain height, supporting them with a wood dowel tied to the stalk helps the plants from bending or breaking.
