How to grow 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 plump

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.

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.

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. 

Pick young pods regularly so the plants continue producing more for as long as possible

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.