Where do you get that fava beans seeds?

“… I used to get my favorite bean seed from then, but then something happened and they stopped carrying it”

Was supposed to say…

“cippolini, and I used to get my fava bean seed from then, but then something happened and they stopped carrying it”.

Does anyone know what happened?

What’s the name of the Fava bean? They can be a tricky crop, especially if high temperatures or a lot of rain causes crop loss. There’s also the possibility of quarantine, by the US, for virus, etc.

I can’t remember which one’s I used to get from Seeds of Italy (I beleive I got an email or catalog in 2015 saying they were “unable to import them this year”), but i believe I’ve grown aqudulce, super aquadulce, vroom, extra prescocce, and sweet Lorraine.

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Wow that was impressive, I should plant the beans closer next year for more beans!

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Oops. So many typos!

Local nurseries here in the Bay Area sell bulk bags of dried fava beans to use as cover crop in the winter. I planted them one year and they took over the garden area (in a good way). I never planted them again because they are such a pain to prepare, with all the peeling.

If you eat them younger, no need to peel them individually and they are very tender eaten fresh. Sublime in salads.

The variety they sell for cover crop is probably not the one most would choose for eating fresh.

Eating vs cover crop

" Seed companies, including Oregon’s Territorial Seed Company, sell small-seeded favas for planting as a cover crop. Varieties are sold as Banner and “small fave cover crop,” among other names.

Small-seeded favas protect soil from months of pummeling rains. They are hardy to about 10 degrees. They fix nitrogen from the air into the soil and can provide as much nitrogen for your next crop as fertilizer, equivalent to 100 to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Culinary varieties of fava beans are much larger seeds than cover-crop types. Up to an inch in diameter, the seeds/beans can be eaten when young, green and tender, and they taste like buttery lima beans. They fix nitrogen in similar amounts to small-seeded favas."

Fava bean varieties

If you try again, I read about freezing them briefly, then peeling which makes the process easier.

“The Easiest Way to Peel Fava Beans”

That looks very promising, thanks. Our local market sells shell-on fresh favas, and I’ll give this technique a try.

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I never really paid attention how long the fava beans need from seeds to beans. I’m now in my 82 days from outdoor seeds, flowers just waned. The tomatoes seedlings are growing fast, and they want the space of the beans in a few weeks time…

How long do you usually need for pods formation? Is there anyway to speed the beans up?

I’ve always planted mine in the fall, and I’m pretty sure I’ve read they take longer that way; maybe 240 days. Spring planted should take less, like 80 was, I imagine because of warmth and sunlight. The variety matters too. I remember growing one called “super precoce”, that was supposed to be early. I think Territorial seeds has several varieties, and mentions days to maturity. Do you know what kind you have?

Oops! Just realized you asked from flower to bean. I’m guessing, but really tiny pods without beans in a week or so, but the six inch, full of bean ones might be two weeks or more.

Fava beans from Gourmet Seed

These are what mine look like in early March, and I usually eat them in April.


Early April

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Mine is Aguadulce. Wow yours have a lot of flowers!

I think seeds need the right conditions to grow, so seeds to beans time is not accurate. I think I need another 3-4 weeks to get the beans. Do you prune the plants? I’m think of doing it tomorrow, trim the top leaves. Never did it in the past.

I didn’t prune them. I am doing a lot of pepper plant pruning this year, but I’ve never tried it with legumes. I have read of pinching the top leaves as a way of dealing with aphids.

Yeah, I read this too. I see ants busily on the plants, but I didn’t see the aphids yet. I will get rid of some of the side shoots for sure.