Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Broad beans.
Broad beans are an easy and productive crop, producing valuable early harvests, before most other vegetables are ready. They can be sown at various times from autumn to late spring, depending on your growing conditions and the variety, and if you sow several batches you can enjoy fresh, delicious beans from early to late summer. For the best flavour, pick broad beans when the pods are young and plumpBroad beans (Vicia faba) like a sunny, sheltered site in rich, free-draining soil, and dwarf varieties can be grown successfully in containers or small plots. They need little maintenance, apart from watering in dry spells once in flower, and frequent harvesting once the pods form, to encourage further cropping.
Broad bean varieties offer a choice of pod length, bean colour, plant size and sowing timeThere are many broad bean varieties to choose from, with different sowing and harvesting periods, plant heights and pod sizes. Some hardy varieties can be sown in autumn, others are for late winter or spring sowing. Dwarf varieties, which only reach about 50cm (20in) tall, are useful where space is limited and for growing in containers or in windy sites. For a reliable crop, look for varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), as these performed well in our trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg and our Recommended Varieties below. You’ll also find an array of different beans growing in the veg areas of the RHS gardens, so do visit to compare varieties and pick up growing tips.
Broad bean seeds are readily available in garden centres and from online retailers. You may also find young plants in garden centres or online in spring – ideal if you don’t have the time or space to grow from seed, or just want a few plants.
Choose a warm, sunny, sheltered growing site with well-drained soil. Weed the area thoroughly, then fork in plenty of well-rotted manure or home-made garden compost – at least two bucketfuls per square metre/yard – to improve moisture retention. Ideally do this a few weeks before sowing or planting out, to allow the ground to settle. Alternatively, if you're practising no-dig, mulch the soil with organic matter ahead of sowing or planting directly into the mulch.
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Broad beans are straightforward to grow from seed, and are usually sown in late winter (indoors, or outdoors with protection), or in spring outdoors. In mild regions or very warm, sheltered sites, they can also be sown in late autumn, for a crop as early as May.
Indoor sowing keeps the seeds safe from mice, and the young plants away from slugs and snailsYou can sow broad beans under cover from February onwards, for planting out in spring. This gives better results than sowing outdoors if your soil is damp (which can cause seeds to rot) or if there are mice in your garden (as they will eat the seeds in the ground). Sow the large seeds individually into small pots or modular trays filled with peat-free multi-purpose compost, inserting them 5cm (2in) deep with the scar facing downwards. Water well and keep in a bright spot.
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Sow several batches of seeds during March and April, for a longer cropping seasonBroad beans are usually sown outdoors in March, April and even early May, for harvests throughout the summer. Sowing in October/November or February is also possible in milder parts of the UK or very sheltered sites, especially those with well-drained soil. For these earlier sowings, use a hardy variety and protect young plants with cloches or plastic-free fleece during cold spells.
Sowing instructions vary depending on where you are sowing your seeds:
In the ground – sow broad bean seeds, with the scar facing downwards, 5–7.5cm (2–3in) deep and 15–23cm (6–9in) apart, depending on the variety. Space single rows 45cm (18in) apart and double rows 23cm (9in) apart with 60cm (2ft) between each double row. It’s also worth sowing a few extra seeds at the end of the rows, to produce spare plants to fill any gaps left by seeds that fail to germinate. To extend the cropping season throughout the summer, sow several batches a few weeks apart. In containers – sow dwarf varieties in large containers, at least 40cm (15in) wide, filled with peat-free multi-purpose or loam-based compost. Sow the seeds, with the scar facing downwards, 5cm (2in) deep and 15cm (6in) apart.
Young broad bean plants that you’ve grown from seed indoors, or bought as plug plants, can be planted outside in early to mid-spring. Harden them off, to avoid a check in growth, and make sure your planting site is prepared in advance (see Preparing the ground above).
Plant broad bean plants 15–23cm (6–9in) apart, either in single rows 45cm (18in) apart or in double rows 23cm (9in) apart, with 60cm (2ft) between each double row. Water in well. You can also plant dwarf varieties in large containers, at least 40cm (15in) wide, filled with peat-free multi-purpose or loam-based compost. Space plants 15cm (6in) apart. Position the container in a sunny, sheltered spot, and water the plants in well.
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Broad beans growing in the ground don't generally need regular watering, unless they are grown in light, free-draining soil. However, giving plants a good soak as they start flowering, and again two weeks later, greatly improves the harvest. Broad beans in containers require frequent watering throughout the growing season, as they dry out more quickly than plants in the ground. For water-saving tips, see our guides below.
Spread a deep mulch of garden compost around the plants after planting to help hold moisture in the soil and deter weed germination.
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Broad beans usually get all the nutrients they need from the soil. But, if you’re growing dwarf broad beans in a container, start feeding when the first flowers appear, applying a high potassium liquid fertiliser, such as tomato feed, once a fortnight.
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Weed regularly between the rows with a hoe, especially when plants are young, to reduce competition for light and water.
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Insert stakes at the end of rows, then run string around the outside to hold the plants upMost broad beans need staking to keep them upright. Insert sturdy stakes at each corner of the rows and every 1.2m (4ft) along the rows. Run string around the stakes at 30cm (1ft) intervals from the ground.
Small or dwarf varieties usually support each other, especially when planted in double rows, but you can add twiggy sticks to prop them up if necessary.
Pick young pods regularly so the plants continue producing more for as long as possibleBroad beans are ready to harvest from late spring to late summer, depending on the sowing time and variety. For shelling, pick the pods when they are full but still relatively small, as small beans are sweeter and more tender than large ones. The scar on the bean (where it attaches to the pod) should still be white or green, not black, as beans become tough at this stage. Young immature pods can also be picked when only about 7cm (3in) long, for cooking and eating whole.
Regular picking encourages further pods to form. Use secateurs or scissors to detach them, to avoid damaging the plants. Pods lower down the plants mature first – check them every few days, as pods can ripen fast. You can also harvest the young shoot tips, to use like spinach. Once harvesting has finished, cut plants down to the base and compost them. However, as legumes (peas, beans and related plants) fix nitrogen from the air at their roots, leave these in the ground to boost soil nitrogen levels. Alternatively, dig whole plants into the soil.
Broad beans are robust plants and generally crop well. Seeds sown outdoors may be eaten by mice, and slugs and snails may feed on the young shoots. Black aphids often colonise the shoot tips. For tips on how to tackle these and other issues, see Common problems below. Related RHS GuidesControlling problems without chemicalsPreventing problems
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