Growing Broad Beans

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Growing Broad Beans – vicia faba

Also called fava beans – they must be cooked before eating. They are only grown as bush varieties and should not need support, except in very exposed sites. Broad beans can be used in the kitchen as young green beans, in the pod and are particularly useful as they are available when few other green vegetables are ready. They are not often used as a green bean in this country but, be assured they are very tasty and very welcome in spring. Normally they are picked as the pods start to fill and the beans only are cooked and eaten fresh. As the season progresses, the waxy skins on the beans becomes quite unpalatable and it is necessary to peel each bean from its skin to provide a tasty vegetable. It is at this stage that many people are ‘put off’ this tasty and very nutritious vegetable. The beans can also be dried and stored for winter use. I have to admit that I have dried these been both, in their waxy skins and peeled but, have not enjoyed the results either way. I now use my jar of dried fava beans as ‘baking beans’, when cooking pastry blind.

I have never allowed these results to get in the way of my enjoyment of them in the spring. I do believe that eating fresh and in season is best and once a year for a couple of months, these beans are ‘magic’.

They can be sown in autumn but, if you plan to do this, make sure you choose a suitable variety – Aquadulce Claudia seems to be the variety of choice from most seed houses. Although my autumn sowing are not looking great after a very wet winter – they are inclined to rot in the ground in very wet weather, I will, no doubt still get a good crop earlier than any spring sowing. On the face of it, it would seem that spring sown beans would be a better choice but later sowings are more susceptible to attacks by black fly in the spring. I have found that autumn sowings have harvested before black fly attack in the later spring.

Broad beans like a well dug and fertile plot [well manured in the previous season]. They can be prone to foot-rot if planted in ground previously used for this crop.

Broad beans can be sown in January and early February indoors in pots to be planted out later in the month. Make sure they are ‘hardened off’ before planting out. They can be sown outdoors from late February to March as long as the ground is not frozen and not too wet.

Each plant can put up multiple stems which means that the plants will, in their ridges, support each other. However, if you are growing on a particularly windy site, your plants might need some support.

This year, as it is so wet, try ‘chitting’ the seeds first. Spread them out on wet newspaper until they have sprouted – discard any which have not sprouted after 10 days or so. Once they have sprouted well they can be potted up in 9cm pots. Grow on where they have sufficient light or they will become ‘stretched’. Do harden off before planting outdoors

Hardening- Off –Plants which have been germinated and raised in a propagator or indoors are under cover are more tender than those raised outdoors and need to be gently and gradually toughened-up before being planted outdoors. Start by removing from a propagator to a cooler place or leave the door of a greenhouse open during the day to lower the temperature. The young plants can then be placed under a cloche or left outside during the day [bring them back indoors at night for a few days]. They can then be left outdoors with a fleece or cloche covering on very cold nights.] Each plant can put up multiple stems which means that the plants will, in their ridges, support each other. However, if you are growing on a particularly windy site, your plants might need some support

Types

For the varieties you would like have a look at the varieties on offer and choose a variety which will suit your taste, situation and soil type.

Long pod varieties – include Aquadulce Claudia and Luz de Otono, both suitable for autumn sowing, Imperial Green Longpod, Imperial White Longpod, Masterpiece Green Longpod, Bunyard’s Exhibition.

Imperial Green Longpod, Express, Aquadulce Claudia and Medes are among those which can be sown from January onwards but, as this has been a particularly wet start of year it would be better to wait until the ground has dried out  a bit before sowing

Suggested Sources of Broad Bean Seeds:

• Thompson And Morgan 
• Dobies
• Suttons Seeds
• Marshalls Seeds
• Premier Seeds Direct     
• Mr Fothergills
• Amazon                       

Nutritional Value

Good source of - Dietary fibre,  Protein – though incomplete,Folate – also known as folic acid or Vit. B9

Iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese,

Traces of -Vitamins – A, C, K and B1  B2, B3, B6.   Calcium, Zinc, Selenium

Pests and Diseases

Black Bean Aphids are the most destructive pest for this crop. Autumn sown beans are less likely to be attacked before harvesting, especially if beside a spring sown crop. The given advice on protecting the crop is to pinch out the growing tips, once the plants have set the pods on the lower branches. However, this is not a foolproof method. It would seem that wet springs discourage the development of blackfly invasion.

Chocolate spot – a fungal infection causes brown spots on the leaves and can affect the pods. The advice is to lift and destroy the diseased plants. Applying a fertiliser like Growmore seems to help. Don’t grow the plants too close together to avoid transferring the disease.

Mice and birds can also unearth the seeds after they are sown. If this appears to be a concern on your plot, it might be worth protecting your seed beds with environmesh or fleece until the plants are well up.