Botanical name: Vicia faba

Also known as: Fava Beans, Broad Beans, Faba Bean

Benefits: Nitrogen fixation, high nutrition

Germination time: 4-12 days

Ideal Germination Temperature: 68 degrees F, but can sprout between 40F and 75F.

Days to Maturity: 80-100 days when spring planted; 220+ days when fall planted

Height: 2-4 feet

-Plant Genetic Resources, UMass Amherst, USDA

Fava beans are an incredible addition to any garden. They are the perfect plant to grow because they are both productive and sustainable.

Fava beans have sustained cultures for millennia. In fact, they are one of the oldest crops known to exist in the world (UMass Amherst).

In this comprehensive guide, you will discover the wide-ranging benefits of fava beans. I'll also cover best practices for growing fava beans from seed. You'll learn how fava beans are essential to regenerative gardening and permaculture.

The Multifaceted Benefits of Fava Beans in Your Garden

Warning: Some people are allergic to fava beans. If you have favism or G6PD deficiency, serious complications can occur. Do not eat fava beans if you have this issue.

How to plant fava beans

In zones 7 and up, you can plant fava beans in early spring or in autumn. Plants can tolerate temperatures down to 15F.

In zones 6 and under, fava beans are best planted in the spring.

Fava beans prefer to be directly sown. Plant seeds at a depth that is twice their height, or 1-2 inches in the ground.

If you are planting fava for a cover crop, sow 1 seed per square foot.

If you are growing fava for food, let the seeds be 8-10 inches apart. Lean towards bigger spacing if you have rainy growing conditions. Rows should be 2-3 feet apart.

Certain varieties of fava beans are more drought tolerant than others. However, all varieties benefit from moist soil until germination occurs.

(USDA)

Fava beans build soil health

Fava beans, or Vicia faba, are not just any ordinary crop; they are a powerhouse in the regenerative garden. These beans do wonders for the soil and the environment. Let's look at a few of their many advantages:

Favas Fix Nitrogen:

Fava beans infuse the soil with nitrogen, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

This can reduce costs for farmers, and support the environment. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers contribute to climate change and water pollution.

What’s really fascinating is that fava bean cover crops can increase yield in heavy feeders. For example, corn. Fava beans even outperformed synthetic nitrogen fertilizer!

Fava beans are able to fix nitrogen in the soil  due to the beneficial relationship with soil microbes. These microbes transform atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for plants.

In fact, fava beans can contribute as much as 178 pounds of nitrogen per acre (Frontiers in Plant Science, conversion calculator).

Fava Beans and Carbon Sequestration

Every plant that engages in photosynthesis sequesters carbon. Carbon sequestration is part of the process.

However, some plants sequester more carbon than others.

For an annual plant, fava beans have high levels of carbon sequestration. While this is fantastic news for the environment, it also is great for building soil health.

High levels of carbon in the soil support beneficial microbes. In turn, these soil biota offer resources to plants growing in the area.

Fava Beans Improve Soil Structure:

The green manure from the plant supports organic mater levels of the soil. Decomposed fava plants also help soil to absorb more water (Frontiers in Plant Science).

Fava Beans Increase Beneficial Microbial Life:

These beans promote a rich, diverse soil biome, which is crucial for plant health.

Fava Beans are a Great Cover Crop:

As a protective cover crop, fava beans shield the soil from erosion and water evaporation.

In areas where winter temperatures do not dip below 15F, fava bean plants can over-winter. Then, they will produce a food crop in the spring (UMass Amherst).

The USDA notes the following benefits of fava beans as a cover crop:

• biomass
• nitrogen fixation in the soil
• reduces soil erosion
• can reduce weeds
• attracts pollinators, such as bumblebees
• attracts beneficial insects
• terminates easily
• next crop can have higher yields

Fava Beans Provide Some Livestock Feed

After the harvest of bean pods, the green material can be given to livestock (UMass Amherst).

Cattle, sheep (O’Kiely et al.),chickens (feedstrategy), goats and pigs (millingandgrain) can all eat fava.

Note that different livestock will need different methods of processing fava beans. Each animal requires different ratios for inclusion in their diet.

Beneficial Insects Love Favas Too

Fava beans are a hotspot for beneficial insects. Regenerative gardeners love that they attract:

• Ladybugs: These little warriors eat aphids, keeping your plants safe. Since favas can host black bean aphids, ladybugs may come to eat these bugs. Then they can stay to clear up other aphid populations in your garden. Lady beetles are also attracted to the nectar produced by the plant.
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• Bees: Essential for pollination, bumblebees and native bees love fava bean flowers. When bees support fava bean pollination, damage from broad bean beetle does not impact yield.
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• Lacewings: Another pest predator, lacewings help eat aphids and mites.
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• Ichneumoid wasps: A parasitic wasp that feeds on hornworms and cabbage worms.

-(USDA, University of Washington, Ecology Evolution,

Companion Planting with Favas

Favas are the ultimate team players in the garden. They mesh well with:

• Cereals: Fava beans protect cereal crops from the cereal cyst nematode (UMass Amherst).
• Broccoli: When fava beans and broccoli are planted together, the health of the soil increases along with broccoli yield (Scientia Horticulturae).
• Pollinator attractants: Fava beans thrive when pollinators visit their flowers. This helps to increase yields (UMass Amherst).

Nutrition of Fava Beans

The University of Copenhagan highlights fava beans as a fantastic source of protein that can be locally grown. The high input needs of soy have a negative impact on the environment, while fava beans are seen as more sustainable.

Fava bean nutrition levels per 100g raw:

Calories: 341
Carbohydrates: 58g
Protein: 26g
Fat: 1.5g
Dietary Fiber: 25g
Folate: 106%
Niacin: 18%
Riboflavin: 25%
Thiamin: 46%
Vitamin K: 7.5%
Potassium: 23%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 84%
Magnesium: 18%
Manganese: 71%
Phosphorus: 60%
Selenium: 15%
Zinc: 9%

-USDA Food Data

Resilience of Fava Beans

A scientific review published in the African Journal of Agricultural Research in 2013 calls fava beans “one of the best performing crops under global warming and climate change scenarios.”

The authors of the paper say this is due to the way that favas thrive under a wide range of climates and soil types.

Fava beans are easy to grow as a landrace, according to No-Till Farmer.

This means you can run your own breeding project to develop plants that thrive in your garden.

Colors, Varieties, and Choosing the Right Bean

Where to buy fava bean seeds:

Red-Pink

Red Epicure Broad Bean

Karmazyn

Yellow

Gold

Aztec Yellow

Green

Aprovecho Select

Masterpiece

Loreta

Cambridge Scarlet

Tan-Brown

Sweet Lorane

Ur kupina

Copper

Purple

Bolivian Purple

Black

Midnight Black

Black Russian

Multi-colored

Ianto's Return

Lofthouse Landrace

Andean Mix

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Fava Beans: Best Practices

According to UMass Amherst, you may need to supplement phosphorus levels of the soil around fava beans.

This is because the process of nitrogen fixation utilizes a lot of phosphorus. If soil tests show that your phosphorus levels are low, add organic phosphorus fertilizer at planting time.

For ensured nitrogen fixation, use a fava bean mycorrhizal inoculant at planting.

Fava Disease: Prevention Tips

Most disease issues of fava, such as Chocolate Spot or Rust, can be prevented with larger plant spacing. This allows air to circulate around the plants, and the leaves dry out faster after rains.

Another tip is to bottom water or use drip irrigation when watering your fava beans. Never water overhead so that wet leaves are avoided as much as possible.

To prevent chocolate spot, plant your fava bean crop as early as possible. According to UMass Amherst, the hot temperatures of summer trigger this disease. If you can harvest beans before July, CBS can be avoided.

If plants are diseased, do not mulch with them or put them in your home compost. This will prevent the fungal spores from persisting in your soil.

Fava beans: A plant of the past that can help sustain the future

In essence, fava beans represent more than a simple addition to the garden. They are an embodiment of sustainable, regenerative agriculture. They stand as a testament to the power of natural, eco-friendly gardening practices.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just beginning, fava beans will benefit your garden, the environment, and your table.