Did you know that the broad bean is one of the oldest agricultural vegetables? It was cultivated as early as the Neolithic Age. It is rich in protein and carbohydrates and provides nitrogen to the soil and surrounding plants. Learn how to grow the broad bean in your garden below.

Broad beans are tasty and very nutritious

When are broad beans planted?

Broad beans, also known as broad beans or broad beans, are amazingly cold-resistant and are therefore one of the plants that you can sow before the ice saints. The end of February to mid-March is a good time to sow the beans - as long as it no longer freezes permanently. It is even better if you prefer the broad beans at home (from mid-February) and then plant the young plants in the bed in March. So you can harvest even earlier.

tips

Don't sow your broad beans too late, because then they are more likely to be infested with lice.

Location, spacing and sowing depth

Like all types of beans, broad beans need sun to develop plenty of beans. In addition, the soil should be loose and not too moist.
The most important thing for a rich harvest is crop rotation. Legumes should only be planted in one location every four to five years. So you should rotate the location of your beans from year to year.

Broad beans are sown very deep at 8 to 12 cm. Although the broad beans can grow up to 2 meters high, they don't need too much space or climbing aids. Depending on the variety, a planting distance of 10 to 20 cm is recommended. See the seed pack for more information.

Good neighbors

Cleverly combining plants in the vegetable garden increases the yield and protects the plants from pests and diseases. This is how oats protect your broad beans from lice. Other good neighbors are:

  • savory
  • potatoes
  • Nasturtium
  • beets
  • spinach

You should not combine your fava beans with:

  • other types of beans
  • peas
  • fennel
  • sunflowers
  • onion plants

When is harvest time?

Harvest time obviously depends on the sowing date, but in general broad beans have a development time of around 100 days. After a little over three months you can harvest your broad beans.

All information at a glance

  • Sowing time: February/ March
  • Location: sunny, no compost, no waterlogging
  • Planting distance: 10 to 20m
  • Row spacing: 40 to 60cm
  • Sowing depth: 8 to 12cm
  • Pay attention to crop rotation and planting neighbors!

Category:

Vegetable garden