How to secure an early summer harvest with hardy fava beans
Before most garden vegetables are even ready, broad beans can provide a delicious, productive harvest. Whether you have a sprawling allotment or a small container on a windy balcony, these resilient plants offer a straightforward way to master seasonal growing.
Broad beans (Vicia faba) are prized for their ability to provide early harvests. Success begins with selecting the right site and soil. These plants thrive in sunny, sheltered locations with rich, free-draining soil. To prepare the ground, it is effective to fork in at least two bucketfuls of well-rotted manure or compost per square metre to help retain moisture. If you prefer no-dig gardening, you can simply incorporate organic matter directly into the mulch before planting.
Timing is critical for a continuous supply. While varieties differ, you can sow seeds in autumn, late winter, or spring. In milder regions or very sheltered spots, even late autumn sowing is possible, potentially yielding crops as early as May. To extend your harvest throughout the summer, consider sowing several batches during March and April. If you are worried about damp soil causing seeds to rot, or mice eating seeds in the ground, you can sow indoors under cover from February onwards.
Maintenance is minimal once the plants are established. The primary tasks involve watering during dry spells once the flowers appear and frequent harvesting once pods form to encourage the plant to keep producing. For those with limited space or windy sites, dwarf varieties are an excellent choice, as they only reach approximately 50cm in height. For the best flavour, aim to pick the beans when the pods are still young and plump.
Source: How to Grow Fava Beans (Broad Beans & Field Beans)
