How to Grow Fava Beans USA
On this page
Sow fava beans once soil temperature reaches 37°F (3°C).
The short answer
- Site
- 6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7
- Biggest risk
- Broad bean chocolate spot
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Fava beans (Vicia faba)
15 sources cited · Verified
At a Glance
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 6 - 7 |
| Sunlight | 6-10 hours direct sun |
| Germination temp | 37°F (3°C) |
| Optimal growing temp | 64-82°F (18-28°C) |
| Soil texture | RHS: "rich, free-draining soil"; before sowing "fork in plenty of well-rotted manure or home-made garden compost - at least two bucketfuls per square metre/yard". |
| Drainage | RHS: free-draining, in a "sunny, sheltered site". |
| Lifecycle | Hardy annual legume; semi-hardy -- hardy longpod cultivars (e.g. Aquadulce Claudia) withstand light frost and are sown outdoors in autumn to overwinter, but not heavy frost or hard freezes. |
| Edible parts | pods (shelled or whole), young shoot tips |
When to plant in the USA
United States. Broad beans are a cool-season crop, and where you are decides whether they are an autumn sowing or a spring one. In mild-winter regions they are sown in autumn to overwinter: UC gives late summer through November for an early-spring picking, and WSU gives a specific maritime Pacific Northwest anchor — "plant fava or broad beans the second week of November for June harvest". In mild, cool regions UC also allows a January sowing for early-summer beans. Further north and inland, autumn sowing stops working: UC states plainly that excessively cold winters and hot summers both disfavour the crop, so in cold-winter regions it becomes an early-spring sowing made as soon as the ground can be worked, aiming to crop before summer heat arrives. Sow 1-2 in deep, 6-8 in apart, in rows 18 in apart. One agronomic note worth planning around: the root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen, but only before pods form — so a crop grown for the soil is cut at flowering, while a crop grown for beans has already spent most of that benefit.
Soil & Growing Conditions
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing & Establishment | 0 | Sow 5-7.5cm (2-3in) deep, or start indoors in pots/modular trays at 5cm (2in) deep with the seed scar facing downwards (RHS). Space plants 15-23cm (6-9in) apart within the row; grow in double rows 23cm (9in) apart with 60cm (2ft) between each double row, or single rows 45cm (18in) apart (RHS). Two UK sowing windows: hardy longpod cultivars (e.g. 'Aquadulce Claudia') can be autumn-sown in October or November in mild, sheltered sites to overwinter as small seedlings for the earliest crop; the main sowing is spring, from February through April and even early May, for harvests through summer (RHS). Fava/broad bean is a semi-hardy annual that withstands light frosts but not hard freezes (Univ. of Maryland). Seed germinates once average soil temperature at sowing depth reaches about 37-41°F (3-5°C) (Saskatchewan Pulse Growers). |
| Vegetative Growth | 3 | Most broad beans need staking as they grow: insert sturdy stakes at each corner of the row and every 1.2m (4ft) along it, then run string around the stakes at 30cm (1ft) intervals from the ground (RHS). Dwarf varieties such as 'The Sutton' (to 45cm/18in) generally support each other, especially in double rows, and need no staking (RHS). Plants in the ground do not usually need regular watering at this stage unless grown in light, free-draining soil (RHS). |
| Flowering | 6 | Give plants a good soak as flowering begins, and again two weeks later - this single step "greatly improves the harvest" (RHS). Keep watering consistent through this stage, especially in light or free-draining soil (RHS; Univ. of Maryland: "keep the root zone moist by watering deeply and regularly during dry periods"). |
| Pod Development | 7 | Once the lowest set of flowers has formed small pods, pinch out the shoot tips at the top of each plant - this channels energy into pod development and reduces blackfly (black bean aphid) infestations, which target the soft growing tips (RHS). The pinched tips are edible and can be cooked like spinach (RHS). Keep the root zone moist, watering deeply and regularly during dry periods - water more frequently once pods begin to develop (Univ. of Maryland). |
| Ripening & Harvest | 8 | Pick pods when they are full but still relatively small - small beans are sweeter and more tender than large ones. Check the scar on the bean: it should still be white or green, not black (RHS). Young, immature pods can be picked whole at about 7cm (3in) long and cooked like French beans (RHS). |
| Senescence & End of Crop | 9 | Once harvesting has finished, cut plants down to the base and compost the top growth. As a legume, broad bean fixes nitrogen from the air at its roots - leave the roots in the ground after cutting to boost soil nitrogen levels for the next crop (RHS). |
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Broad Beans, Sowing to Harvest
Plan your Fava Beans planting
When to sow and plant Fava Beans depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover Fava Beans: February. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Fava beans in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
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US extension source for the Mediterranean West: sow in late summer for a late-autumn harvest, or late summer to November to overwinter for early-spring picking; sow in January for early-summer beans but only in mild, cool regions. Seed 1-2 in deep, 6-8 in apart, in rows 18 in apart. Excessively cold winters and hot summers do not favour growth, and plants do poorly in warm weather when they are susceptible to pests and diseases. Root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen, but only before pods form.
-
US extension source for the maritime Pacific Northwest: "Plant Fava or Broad beans the second week of November for June Harvest." Advises choosing early-maturing cultivars for autumn sowings so they mature before frost slows or halts growth.
These 3 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 15 sources behind this guide (EPPO Global Database, FAO EcoCrop, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and others) is in the references of our UK guide to broad beans; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What soil pH do broad beans need?
A pH of about 6–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect broad beans?
Our data links 2 diseases and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
Get the USA Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Last verified 2026-08-06
Where To Go From Here
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Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.