Best time to plant broad bean in Australia
Vicia faba
Also called Fava bean, Faba bean
Broad beans are upright annual legumes with square stems and grey-green leaves, lacking the climbing tendrils of most vetches. The beans are the main harvest, raw or cooked once the outer coat is off, and very young pods can go in whole. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must avoid them, as a serious reaction can follow.
On a shared plot: suits a plot
Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.
When to sow
| Zone | Months | How well checked |
|---|---|---|
| Temperate | Mar to Jul | Matches local guides |
| Subtropical | Mar to Jun | Broadly matches local guides, with some differences |
| Tropical | Apr to Jun | Not yet checked against a local guide |
| Arid | Apr to Jul | Matches local guides |
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly in the bed
- Sowing depth
- 30mm
- Plant spacing
- 15cm
- Row spacing
- 12cm
- Height
- 120cm
- Germination
- 7-14 days at 6-24°C
- Time to harvest
- 80 days
- Frost
- Hardy, takes a light frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.