Vegetable · Easy to grow
Broad bean
Vicia faba · also Fava bean
A hardy cool-season legume sown in autumn for big pods in spring, and a great soil improver. Plants grow tall, so stake or string them before wind knocks them over. Pinch out the growing tips once the lowest pods form to deter aphids and speed pod fill.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing20 cm apart
- First pick14–20 weeks
- FrostFrost hardy
- HeatStruggles in heat
- Sow depth50 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add broad bean to my gardenVarieties (3)
- AquadulceLong-podded and cold hardy; good for early autumn sowings
- Coles DwarfCompact (about 1 m) and good for windy or small gardens; reliable cropper
- Crimson-floweredOrnamental red flowers and smaller tasty beans; good for small spaces
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
20 cm apart, rows 50 cm, seed 50 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Rain usually does it; water in dry spells.
Feed
None; dig the plants in afterwards.
Pick, from about 14 weeks
Pick pods when beans are thumbnail-sized.
Good to know
- Pick young pods for eating whole, or wait until beans are plump for shelling
- Cut plants at ground level after harvest and leave the roots to release nitrogen
- No need for nitrogen fertiliser; a little compost at planting is plenty
Common problems
- Black aphids on growing tipspinch out infested tips, hose off, encourage ladybirds
- Chocolate spot (brown spots on leaves)space plants for airflow, avoid overhead watering, don't over-feed with nitrogen
- Plants blown overput up stakes and string lines on both sides of the row before plants reach 50 cm
- Poor pod setusually cold or few bees; flowers set better as spring warms
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Safety: Can trigger favism, a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction, in people with G6PD deficiency; cooking does not remove the trigger compounds.
Where this information comes from
- Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
- ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, medium confidence)
- Gardenate: Growing Broad beans (comparison only) (growing comparison, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, medium confidence)
- Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, medium confidence)
- Singapore Food Agency: fava beans and G6PD deficiency (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Centre for Food Safety Hong Kong: Phytohaemagglutinin poisoning (Food Safety Focus 208) (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.