• Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
No Result
View All Result

The Easy Way to Grow Broad Beans

October 21, 2009 - Updated on November 8, 2021
in Growing Plants
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“You mean there’s a HARD way to grow broad beans?” I can feel you chortling already but you can mock away, if something is too simple then there is always the fringe element who like to make it harder than it needs to be.

In fact, growing broad beans, or fava beans as they’re commonly known, is as easy as popping a seed in the ground, watering it, and then picking the produce once they’re ripe. That’s it. End of story.

Yet, if that were the entire post on how to grow broad beans you can bet the comments to swell asking for all kinds of further information and advice. Queries would range from “I’m getting a lot of flowers but no beans” to “How do you know when they’re ripe?” or even “How should I cultivate the soil before I plant the bean seeds?” The answer: see above.

To grow broad beans successfully they require 5 simple things; a growing medium, water, sun, support and a little patience – in that order.

The Growing Medium – broad beans can grow in almost any growing medium; soil (whether it’s sandy, loamy or clay), hydroponic gravel beds and even containers (provided they’re deep enough). The growing medium doesn’t need to be rich in humus or nourished with fertilisers. Instead, the broad beans will grow in the most impoverished soils and add nitrogen back to it as it matures.If you have soils that really need some serious amending then growing a few crops of broad beans will certainly assist the process for you.

Water – as broad beans are a cool season legume annual rainfall is usually enough moisture to satisfy the needs of these beans. However, as they ripen off in spring they will often require some supplementary watering. If you cater for them every 2-3 days then this should be enough to keep the plant healthy and the beans growing.

Sun – like most vegetables, broad beans need at least a few hours of full sunlight per day so growing them in the shade is not going to be too effective. They will grow in partial shade but the plants are often stunted in height and more susceptible to disease. Plus, the beans take much longer to mature.

Support – all beans need some support. Either some trellis against the side of a wall, a climbing frame or even a teepee will suffice. Broad beans are much stronger than many other legumes but they still have a habit of falling over once they’re laden with fruit. The best way to keep them supported is to loosely tie them as a bunch against their support. This should keep them growing upright and not snapping at the base.

As for the patience, growing broad beans will test yours. Most legumes germinate quickly, grow to their full height and produce mature fruit quite quickly. Not so with broad beans. Every part of their growing cycle seems to be naturally slowed to a snail’s pace. But, if you’re willing to just let them do their “thing” they will succeed in the end.

Once the broad bean plant starts growing past germination it’s quite quick that their flowers will start to bloom in readiness for pollination. However, it can seem like months before any of those flowers start to produce bean seeds. Then, its another few weeks before they grow large enough and their shell begins to harden off somewhat before they’re ready to be picked.

But the best part of growing broad beans is that you can save a few, dry them out and then replant for next year’s harvest. They truly are one of the easiest beans to grow in your garden.

Previous Post

Will you be buying a Nazi Garden Gnome?

Next Post

Intruding Tree Roots And How to Remove Them

RelatedPosts

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny
Growing Plants

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

October 16, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
The beautiful Erempholia Nivea
Growing Plants

Eremophila nivea – Outback Silver Foliage

October 3, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas
Growing Plants

Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

September 25, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
How Many Plants Have You KILLED This Year?
Growing Plants

How Many Plants Have You KILLED This Year?

July 5, 2012 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Growing Lemongrass - Tips to Grow This Amazing Herb
Growing Plants

Growing Lemongrass – Tips to Grow This Amazing Herb

July 1, 2012 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Gardening For Apartments With No Balconies
Growing Plants

Hanging Gardens for Apartments

May 14, 2012 - Updated on November 5, 2021
Next Post
Intruding tree roots and how to remove them

Intruding Tree Roots And How to Remove Them

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

November 27, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
A fully fledged gabion fire pit.

How to Build a Gabion Fire Pit

November 6, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

October 16, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
The beautiful Erempholia Nivea

Eremophila nivea – Outback Silver Foliage

October 3, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

September 25, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

September 8, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
GardeningTipsnIdeas.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, we participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.