Because they’re prolific, very nutritious, and also great for your soil, growing fava beans in the garden is a win-win. This easy-to-grow vegetable is tolerant of cold weather and one of the first crops planted in spring with the harvest beginning in early to mid-summer. Fava bean plants grow 2 to 6 feet tall, depending on the variety, and when they bloom attract bees and other pollinators. In this article you’ll learn all about planting, growing, and harvesting fava beans from your garden.

Fabulous favas

Some people say “faba bean” or “broad bean” rather than fava bean, but these are essentially interchangeable. The cool-season crop has a nutty flavor which mixes well with basil, thyme, and similar herbs. The fabulous fava is a low-calorie, high-protein food that’s rich in iron, folic acid, phosphorus, and more.

As its genus name Vicia faba suggests, the fava bean plant is a close relative of vetch. Like the vetches, pea plants, and other “nitrogen-fixing” legumes, fava beans work with soil-dwelling bacteria to pull nitrogen from the air and make it available in the soil via special nodules along plant roots. So, if you grew nitrogen-hungry vegetables like corn or tomatoes in a certain garden bed last season, you might consider planting favas there the next time around.

Still, as fabulous as they are, growing fava beans is not for everyone. Globally about 400 million people are predisposed to a genetic enzyme deficiency which makes eating fava beans or even inhaling fava pollen a serious health risk. People with African, Asian, or Mediterranean roots are more likely than others to suffer from favism. The fava bean-related condition is characterized by anemia, jaundice, and a cascade of related symptoms. If you take an MAOI drug or you suffer from migraines, growing fava beans might not be for you either. Favas are high in the chemical compound tyramine—something both of these patient populations are cautioned to avoid.

The ideal climates for growing fava beans

Fava bean plants thrive in cool weather. If you live in Canada or the mid-to-northern states in the U.S., you have the broadest climate window for growing fava beans. Favas perform best in soil that’s moist and nutrient-rich. (Not sure about its quality? Amend with finished compost before you try growing fava beans.)

The best fava varieties:

• Broad Windsor—This European, bush-style bean has an upright habit. It matures in about 75 to 85 days and can grow up to four feet tall.
• Sweet Lorane—Often used as a winter cover crop, this variety matures in 65 to 90 days and grows three to four feet tall.

(Pro-tip: To maximize your plants’ ability to fix nitrogen, purchase a Rhizobium bacteria-containing legume inoculant along with your seeds.)

When to plant fava bean seeds

• Spring harvesting—Plant fava bean seeds several weeks before your average last frost date during late winter or early spring. Plant seeds and inoculant an inch deep and four inches apart. Separate rows by two to three feet.
• Fall crops—Plant at least one month before the average first frost date in your hardiness zone.

Depending on variety, your plants should be fine even if temperatures drop to the teens. (Broad Windsor and Sweet Lorane are hardy to 12 degrees F (-11 degrees C) and 10 degrees F (-12 degrees C) respectively.) The growing spot should provide at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day.

Caring for fava bean plants

Fava beans are relatively hands-off plants, but there are a few things you can do to promote vigorous growth and lots of beans.

• Watering—Deep water seedlings regularly and continue to keep your established beans moist, particularly as weather warms.
• Fertilization—Provided your soil contains plenty of organic matter, you shouldn’t need to fertilize your favas. Insist on feeding them? Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, opting instead for a phosphorus- and potassium-rich blend.
• Support—Without adequate windbreaks or staking, fava plants’ upright stems can blow over. To protect your crop, pound in some garden stakes and run twine to create temporary supports.

When and how to harvest

Depending on bean pod age and size, you have three harvest options.

1. Immature pod—The exterior pod is edible when it’s still very small and the beans inside are barely discernible. Gently pick without damaging plant stems.
2. Fresh bean—Pick still-green pods that contain well-developed beans.
3. Dried bean—Allow pods to completely mature and dry on plants before picking.

Collect your fava crop in a harvest basket or garden hod.

Preparing fava beans for eating

The best part of growing fava beans is eating them! Here are the different ways you can enjoy this productive crop.

• Immature-but-edible pods—Especially well-suited for stir frying, treat these like snow peas.
• Large-but-green fava beans—Treat and cook fully formed, fresh beans as you would shell peas. Remove the large beans and discard their now-inedible pod containers.
• Dried beans—Remove each bean’s papery skin before use. Blanching beans first helps this parchment-like stuff to rub right off and then you can cook as you would other dried beans.

Overwintering fava bean plants – where and how

If your winters are relatively mild—think parts of California and the more southerly states—then you can plant your bean seeds from roughly November through February, allow your fava plants to overwinter, and then enjoy an early spring harvest. If you go this route, consider adding a layer of mulch to lock in moisture and help to insulate the shallow plant roots as needed.

Problems growing fava beans

Virus-transmitting insect pests like aphids can plague fava plants. So can fungal diseases including fava bean rust and chocolate spot. Fortunately, by routinely checking leaves for trouble and acting swiftly, you may be able to contain these threats. (Rust presents with orangey-yellow lesions. Chocolate spot begins as tiny brown dots.)

It’s also possible to have flowers but no fruiting. Favas do attract insect pollinators; nevertheless, if hot weather hits too soon, pod and bean formation stops. In the case of a heat wave during flowering, float shade cloth above the bed.

More tips for growing fava beans

Besides growing fava beans to feed yourself, you can also grow them as a winter cover to feed your soil, making them a good green manure crop. (Vicia faba is good for erosion control and winter cover, too.) To maximize the amount of nitrogen fixed into the soil, you will need to sacrifice at least some of your bean harvest.

To start, plant your seeds several weeks before your first average killing frost. When blooms emerge, they’ll either die back with the onset of very cold weather or, in much milder climates, you can cut your plants back after blooms appear but before bean pods are produced. That way, the collected nitrogen remains intact, rather than being used to develop the fava beans themselves. Allow the plants’ roots to rot underground and let the dead or cut-back foliage decompose at the soil level.

Fa-va-voom!

Growing fava beans is a great way to change up your diet and improve your soil. Sauteed with onions and garlic, pureed into hummus-like spreads, or added to your favorite veggie soup recipe, there are countless ways to enjoy this protein-packed bean. Plant once the soil has warmed up enough to work. Provided these cold-weather crops have time to fruit before temperatures really rise, you can harvest young pods, green shell beans, or dried favas for long-term use.

For more information on growing legumes like beans, read these articles:

• All about growing green beans
• A guide to planting, growing, and harvesting black beans
• A pole bean grow guide