Broad bean — Garden Doctor

Vicia faba

Quick facts

  • Scientific name: Vicia faba
  • Lifecycle: tender annual; frost will damage plant tissue
  • Growth habit: Bushy, upright — two to four square-sectioned stems, 0.4–1.2m tall
  • Edible parts: pods (shelled or whole), young shoot tips

Growing conditions

  • Soil pH: 6–7
  • Optimal temperature: 18–28°C
  • Sunlight: 6–10 hours
  • Drainage / site: RHS: free-draining, in a sunny, sheltered site.
  • Watering: RHS: plants in the ground don't generally need regular watering unless grown in light, free-draining soil; give a good soak as they start flowering, and again two weeks later.
  • Soil: RHS: rich, free-draining soil; before sowing fork in plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost — at least two bucketfuls per square metre.

Harvesting & storage

  • When to harvest: RHS: pick pods when they are full but still relatively small; the scar on the bean should still be white or green, not black. Young pods can be eaten whole at about 7cm (3in) long.

Common diseases

  • Broad bean rust — RHS: broad bean rust affects broad beans and peas and other related legumes; in the UK the fungus completes its entire life cycle on broad bean.
  • Broad bean chocolate spot — RHS: Botrytis fabae affects only broad beans among garden bean crops.

Common pests

  • Broad bean seed beetle (Bruchus rufimanus) — RHS: broad bean seed beetle affects broad bean seeds.
  • Pea and bean weevil (Sitona lineatus) — RHS: pea and bean weevil affects broad bean and garden pea.
  • Blackfly (black bean aphid) (Aphis fabae species group) — RHS: blackfly affects broad, French and runner beans; on broad beans pod formation can be poor if plants become heavily affected.

Gallery

Broad bean
Broad bean
Broad bean plant
Broad bean plant
Broad bean rust
Broad bean rust
Blackfly (black bean aphid)
Blackfly (black bean aphid)
Pea and bean weevil
Pea and bean weevil
Broad bean seed beetle
Broad bean seed beetle

Image credits

Images sourced via Openverse under Creative Commons / public-domain licences. Credit to each creator below.

  • Broad bean: “Vicia faba by Honeyhuyue, BY-SA 3.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Broad bean plant: “Field bean (Vicia faba L.) by Dag Endresen, BY 2.0” — CC BY, source
  • Broad bean rust: “Hint of broad bean rust - geograph.org.uk by Mr Ignavy, BY-SA 2.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Blackfly (black bean aphid): “Aphis fabae by Michael Becker, BY-SA 3.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Pea and bean weevil: “Sitona lineatus by Udo Schmidt, BY-SA 2.0” — CC BY-SA, source
  • Broad bean seed beetle: “Bruchus rufimanus by janet graham, BY 2.0” — CC BY, source

Facts compiled by the SoilCommander Garden Doctor knowledge base from RHS and university-extension sources.