I'm trying again with fava beans. Early this spring I planted a crop that was overcome by black aphids. Since I had some seeds left over, I thought I'd try again this fall. I planted the last of my seeds September 19, a month ago. I now have 20 small plants from about 30 seeds. And the best thing - NO APHIDS!
I'm curious to see if I'll get any beans from these late plants. Time to harvest for favas is about 85 days. That would be December 13. Favas are pretty cold tolerant (down to 0F), but I'm wondering if they grow and produce beans at cold temperatures. I figure gardening by the trial-and-error-method is a good way to learn what works in my garden.
Last year, my garden's first hard frost was November 21 (a low of 31F). The plants I covered survived this one and grew until early January when temperatures plummeted. It seems every year, our fall is a little warmer.
Vicia faba
harvests from my vegetable gardens
I always think of Hannibal Lechter "and a nice chianti" when I hear about Fava beans. Here in England they are always called broad beans. SSShshhhhlllrp!
ReplyDeleteAs the weather gets colder, the fava beans will grow more slowly. By 0F, they will probably have stopped groing. It's also pretty unlikely they will bloom and set pods if it's below freezing, but of course there's no harm in trying!
ReplyDeleteRegardless of if you get any beans, they will fix nitrogen and losen the soil, preparing it for next year's garden.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteLuv your site! Just happened to stumble across it when I was looking for info on vegetable gardening. I was so inspired by yours I had to start up my own - though I have to admitt it's much less interesting as my garden is still in the beginning stage.
Cheers,
Melanie