Permapotes

Broad beans

Broad beans: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Broad beans are valued for their large edible seeds, mild vegetable flavour and substantial texture. They belong to the species Vicia faba and the Fabaceae family, also known as the legume family. They are distinct from common beans, which belong to another species. In a vegetable garden, broad beans offer fresh or dried seeds and an upright outline that differs from the climbing habit of many other beans.

This annual plant has fairly thick stems and compound leaves made up of several broad, oval, slightly fleshy leaflets. It lacks the tendrils found on peas and does not twine around a support. Height varies considerably between varieties. Dwarf forms remain compact, while others make a much taller presence in the bed. The foliage gives the plant a dense appearance and often has a greyish-green colour.

Flowers appear in small groups along the stems. They are usually white with conspicuous dark markings, although forms with coloured flowers also exist. Bees and bumblebees visit them. Following flowering, pods develop with several seeds inside. Their thick outer walls and spongy lining give them a different structure from the slender pods usually associated with green beans. The edible seeds occupy only part of the pod’s overall volume.

Varieties differ in pod length, seed size and colour, plant height and tolerance of cold. Nice and Aguadulce are among the names found in vegetable selections. A variety suited to one season is not necessarily appropriate for every other season. Broad beans are associated with cool conditions, but whether plants can live through winter depends on the variety and the local weather.

Young beans have a tender texture and a flavour that accompanies spring vegetables, rice or pasta. They also feature in soups, purées and slow-cooked dishes. Dried beans lend themselves to more substantial preparations, including some versions of falafel. The seed coat becomes more noticeable as the beans mature, so fresh and dried broad beans do not have exactly the same culinary role. Their appeal includes the contrast between tender young seeds and richer dishes made with mature beans.

Like other legumes, broad beans can develop root nodules containing bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air. This association depends on soil conditions and does not guarantee complete fertilisation of the garden. The crop therefore combines food production, flowers visited by insects and a distinctive relationship between its roots and soil bacteria.

Broad beans
Broad beans
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 50 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 3 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 10 cm
  • Row Spacing : 40 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Self-pollinating
  • Propagation : Sowing