Cool-season produce

Fava bean

Vicia faba

Also known as Broad bean · Fava beans

A cool-weather bean, unlike summer snap beans. Give it the longest mild stretch; protect flowers from a hard freeze and harvest before heat.

EdibleCool-season cropNitrogen fixer

Growing spaceVegetable bed

Climate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Crop familyFabaceae (legume)

Life cycleAnnual crop

Phoenix planting windowOctober–November for a cool-season trial in Phoenix.

How to plantDirect sow large seeds; stake if plants lodge.

Plant spacing6–8 in

FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.

Time to harvestVariety-dependent; harvest pods in late winter or spring

SuccessionOne or two fall sowings.

Special categoriesEDIBLE · NITROGEN FIXING

Typical harvestYoung green pods or shelled beans in late winter and spring.

Right plant, right place

Will Fava bean grow at your Arizona property?

A cool-weather bean, unlike summer snap beans. Give it the longest mild stretch; protect flowers from a hard freeze and harvest before heat.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Full winter sun; give leafy crops afternoon protection during warm fall and spring weather.

Water

Keep the vegetable root zone evenly moist with regular irrigation; adjust to rain, soil, and temperature rather than using a fixed summer schedule.

Planting & stewardship

1
Prepare a fertile, well-drained bed and keep seed or transplants evenly moist through establishment.
2
Thin to the final spacing; crowding reduces harvest quality.
3
Watch for aphids and caterpillars and protect sensitive growth from a hard freeze.
4
Harvest before sustained spring heat causes bolting or poor quality.

Read the growing reference ↗ Planting dates can shift with cultivar, weather, and your yard’s microclimate.