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Fava Beans (Broad Beans) — Vicia faba

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Fava Beans (Broad Beans) — Vicia faba

layout: base.njk title: Fava Beans description: Growing Fava Beans in West Virginia (Zone 6b/7a) category: cool-season

Quick Reference: See detailed growing information below

Type: Annual
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Sun: Full sun (6+ hours)
Water: Moderate (1-1.5" per week, consistent moisture during flowering/pod set)
Soil pH: 6.0-7.5 (optimal 6.5-7.0, tolerates wider range than most legumes)
Hardiness: Zones 3-11 (very cold hardy, one of hardiest legumes)

🌱 Expected Yield

  • Per plant: 0.5-1.5 lbs pods per plant. Shelled beans: 0.25-0.75 lbs per plant.
  • Per 10' row: 15-30 lbs pods. 8-15 lbs shelled beans.
  • Per season: With spring and fall crops: 25-50 lbs pods per 10' row annually.

🏺 Heirloom Varieties (5-10+)

'Windsor' (Long Pod Windsor)

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com), Johnny's Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com)
  • Days: 85 days
  • Notes: English heirloom from 1700s. Long pods (10-12") with 5-7 large beans. Excellent flavor, creamy texture. Cold hardy. Traditional favorite. Requires double shelling (remove from pod, then remove outer skin from large beans). Rich, nutty taste.

'Broad Windsor'

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek
  • Days: 80 days
  • Notes: American selection of Windsor. Slightly earlier. Large beans, excellent flavor. Cold hardy. Reliable producer. Traditional American garden fava.

'Sweet Loraine'

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek, Johnny's Selected Seeds
  • Days: 75 days
  • Notes: Early variety. Tender, sweet beans. Can eat pods young like snap beans. Cold hardy. Excellent flavor. Less double-shelling needed when harvested young. Productive.

'Conte'

  • Source: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Baker Creek
  • Days: 78 days
  • Notes: Italian heirloom. Large pods, 5-6 beans per pod. Excellent flavor. Cold hardy. Traditional for Italian cuisine. Reliable yielder. Creamy texture.

'Dwarf Fan'

  • Source: Baker Creek, Seed Savers Exchange
  • Days: 75 days
  • Notes: Compact habit (24-30" tall vs. 4-6' for standard). Good for small gardens, containers. Good yield for dwarf type. Cold hardy. Easier to harvest (no staking needed).

'Aquadulce'

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (southernexposure.com)
  • Days: 80 days
  • Notes: Spanish heirloom. Very cold hardy—best for fall planting and overwintering. Long pods, large beans. Sweet flavor. Traditional for Mediterranean winter cultivation. Excellent for zone 6b/7a fall planting.

'Red Flowered'

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek
  • Days: 85 days
  • Notes: Ornamental and edible. Red-pink flowers (vs. typical white/black). Large beans. Good flavor. Beautiful in garden. Cold hardy. Dual-purpose variety.

'Sutton'

  • Source: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Baker Creek
  • Days: 70 days
  • Notes: Dwarf variety (18-24" tall). Early maturing. Good for containers, small gardens. Cold hardy. Reliable yield. Less staking needed. Good flavor.

'Imperial Green'

  • Source: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Baker Creek
  • Days: 80 days
  • Notes: Hybrid, F1. High yield, uniform. Disease resistant. Excellent flavor. Cold tolerant. Holds well in field. Popular with market growers.

'Crimson Flowered'

  • Source: Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek
  • Days: 85 days
  • Notes: Heritage variety. Deep red flowers. Large beans. Good flavor. Ornamental value. Cold hardy. Traditional in English cottage gardens.

🌾 Seed Saving

  • Method: Fava beans are annual, primarily self-pollinating (flowers fertilize themselves before opening, but some cross-pollination occurs via bees). This makes seed saving relatively easy. Allow best pods to mature on plant—turn black, dry, rattle when shaken.

Don't harvest for eating; let pods fully mature. Pick pods when black and completely dry. Split pods, remove beans.

Beans should be rock-hard, fully dry. If humid, finish drying indoors on screens 1-2 weeks. Store in airtight containers. - Isolation distance: 300-500 feet between varieties (though favas primarily self-pollinate, 10-20% cross-pollination can occur via bees).

For home use, 100-200 feet usually adequate. Cage individual plants if growing multiple varieties close together. - Viability: 3-5 years when stored in cool, dry, dark conditions in airtight containers. Fava bean seeds are large and store well, but can be susceptible to bean weevil.

Freeze dried seeds 3-5 days after harvest to kill any weevil eggs. - Special notes: Save seed from minimum 5-10 plants to maintain genetic diversity. Select for flavor, pod size, bean size, disease resistance, earliness, cold tolerance. Favas easy to save seed from—primarily self-pollinating means minimal isolation needed.

Let pods dry completely on plant for best viability. In humid climates, harvest when pods black but before mold develops, finish drying indoors. Bean weevil can infest stored seeds—freeze seeds 3-5 days after drying to kill any eggs.

Store in airtight containers with silica gel or dry rice to maintain low humidity. Fava beans are large seeds—easy to handle, process. Save seeds from healthiest, most productive plants.

For continuous improvement, select plants with most pods, best flavor, disease resistance. Overwintering varieties (like Aquadulce) should be selected from plants that survived winter best..

Added to WV Planting Guide 26155 — The Loop Farmstead