Anyone grow Fava Beans?

[joseph]

It was a great year for fava beans in my garden. They are finally getting locally-adapted, and I'm learning how to grow them.

Here's what I saved for seed next year: A few seeds from each type of bean.

[Aerial]

Joseph,

Does locally-adapted mean your fava strains tolerate heat and drought better? Others have mentioned in the earlier posts that fava beans prefer evenly moist soil.

[PhilaGardener]

Those look great, Joseph!

[joseph]

Originally Posted by Aerial

Does locally-adapted mean your fava strains tolerate heat and drought better? Others have mentioned in the earlier posts that fava beans prefer evenly moist soil.

Basically, yes.

I don't have drought in my garden, because I irrigate the clayish soil once a week. But I do have very low humidity.

The first year I planted fava beans, they flowered like crazy all summer, but didn't make any seeds. The next year I planted a larger, more genetically diverse patch, and about 20% of the plants produced a few seeds. The third year, about 60% of the plants produced seeds for me. Last year, around 90% of the plants produced seeds. So I think that I have finally selected for a locally-adapted strain that doesn't mind the summer heat so much. I think that it also helps that I have transplants ready to go into the ground the day after the winter snow-cover melts. I have also been selecting for volunteers that germinate under the snow.

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi, I am just popping back in here, sorry to abandon ypu all but I have been off lien mostly due to an illness in the family.

Re the black aphids if anyone else is still reading this. They feed on the new growth which will be the top 3 or 4 inches of the plant. you can give them a really heavy blast with the hose ot pinch off the tops including the aphids . The plants will be fine. It is always the same with broadies(favas) but they really want to grow so the bugs shouldn't stop them if you are ready with the hose.

Joseph great pictures... great harvest too.

I have a variety that I have grown for many years which is different to any commercial ones now, the beans are very large. I guess they have adapted to me although I have grown them in three different countries over the years.. so maybe they are friendly beans too !!.

XX Jeannine..

[Andrey_BY]

I used to grow several local Favas:

Russkie Chyornye (Russian Black - old local heirloom with more than 100 years history and dark-purple almost black seeds),


Belorusskie (Belarusian - one more local heirloom, but with light-brown seeds)


Karmazyn (with nice pinkish-red to red-brown seeds, from Poland)

[Jeannine Anne]

Lovely, do you still grow them

[Andrey_BY]

Originally Posted by Jeannine Anne

Lovely, do you still grow them

Yes) But usually 1 variety in one season...

[Jeannine Anne]

Yes me too, today was my day for starting them and I am still puzzling about it. I haven't bought new seed for a while so my choice is limited but I made a pledge to mysel this year that I wouldn't get anything I didn't really need till I had used some up.

My choices are

Aquadulce
Crimson Flowered
Grand Violetto

or the one I have grown for years that has changed over the years in my garden which has no name, the seeds are very very big now and a dark brown. It started many years ago when I did grow several varieties together, one year I planted all I had about 5 varieties I believe as the seeds were old. I only kept seeds from one because they were the biggest and I intended to use them as dry beans but the next year I grew them for curiosity and they were a little different from the commercial one , I kept them going and they have just got used to me I think, anyway those are my choices

XX Jeannine

[habitat_gardener]

I have some fava beans growing in a couple gardens. I intended to grow them as just a cover crop, but I started my tomato seeds late, so I'll probably be able to harvest favas before turning them in.

So I'm wondering: how long does it take from flowers to edible beans?

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi, I don't know in your area but someone else might

[PhilaGardener]

In my garden, the pods develop quickly. You want to let the seeds get to be full size before picking them, habitat_gardener.

Andrey_BY , those colors are gorgeous!

[NarnianGarden]

Oh dear. This is a bean I would LOVE to love: it grows well in my country and supposedly has so many nutrients... But...
No matter how many times I have tried, I just cannot get the beans soft enough and make the hulls come off easily... We have tried several times in my family and finally gave up - no amount of cooking makes these anything worth eating

Such a shame, as this is an old heirloom vegetable grown in Finland for centuries (just as it is grown all over Europe).. The stomach upset just isn't worth it.

So I gladly accept defeat in this and happily eat imported beans - kidney beans, chick peas, large white ones... delicious and easily digested!

[aclum]

Hi,

I'm off to a slow start this year and wondering if it's too late to start some fava beans. I'm in the CA central valley and it's already tee-shirt weather. Will the beans not produce in warm weather or taste bitter or ?. Or will they produce OK if given enough water and shade, etc. (Will have silver mulch on the soil that Johnny's claims keeps the soil 2-6 degrees cooler).

Thanks!
Anne

[joseph]

My fava beans have started flowering.

Crimson flowered fava.