Faba bean
Faba bean: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Faba bean belongs to the species Vicia faba in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae. It therefore shares its botanical identity with the broad bean grown as a vegetable. Field bean commonly refers to smaller-seeded forms used for animal feed and as cover crops. Its leaves, flowers and pods clearly identify it as a legume.This annual develops upright, fairly thick stems with an angular cross-section. Its leaves have several oval leaflets, green to slightly blue-green. Unlike some climbing vetches, it has a mainly vertical habit. Height varies with the cultivar and growing conditions, rather than remaining consistently below one metre. A well-developed stand forms a fairly dense mass of foliage, with a structure quite different from a grassy cover crop.The flowers appear in small groups along the stems. They are often white with dark markings, although some forms of the species have other colours. Their shape resembles that of pea…
