Vegetable

Growing broad beans

Vicia faba · Fabaceae
By Hannah Price · Updated 12 November 2026

Broad beans calendar

Broad beans sowing, planting and harvest calendar (UK)
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sow indoors	Sow indoors in January	Sow indoors in February	Sow indoors in March
Sow outside		Sow outside in February	Sow outside in March	Sow outside in April						Sow outside in October	Sow outside in November
Plant			Plant in March	Plant in April
Harvest					Harvest in May	Harvest in June	Harvest in July

Timings suit lowland southern and central Britain and most of Ireland. In northern England and Scotland, or in a cold spot, start two to three weeks later in spring and finish earlier in autumn.

Overview

Broad beans are tough, cool-season plants that can stand winter in milder parts of the UK and give a crop in late spring, when little else is ready. The black and white flowers are scented and loved by bumblebees. Young beans are sweet and tender, and the leafy tips can be cooked like spinach.

Varieties to try

'Aquadulce Claudia' is the usual choice for autumn sowing because of its hardiness. 'The Sutton' is a dwarf, bushy variety ideal for windy gardens and containers. 'Witkiem Manita' crops quickly from early spring sowings. 'Masterpiece Green Longpod' has good flavour and green beans that freeze well, and 'Crimson Flowered' is an old variety with striking red flowers.

Soil and site

Best soil: Well-drained, reasonably fertile soil; heavy clay is fine if it does not waterlog.

Grow in an open spot with decent drainage, as seeds rot in sodden winter ground. On heavy clay, delay sowing until spring or raise plants in pots. Avoid very exposed sites for autumn sowings, or choose a short variety that resists being blown over.

Sowing and planting

For an early crop, sow hardy varieties 5 cm deep outdoors in October or November. Otherwise, sow outdoors from late February to April as soon as the soil is workable, or start seeds in deep pots or root trainers in an unheated greenhouse from January and plant them out in March or April. Sow a few extra at the end of the row to fill gaps.

Spacing: Double rows 23 cm apart with plants staggered 20 cm apart; leave 60 cm between double rows.

Care

Run canes and string along each side of the double row to stop tall plants collapsing in wind and rain. Keep the bed weeded and water when pods are swelling in dry spells. When the first pods have formed at the base, pinch out the top 8 cm of each stem; this hurries the crop and removes the soft growth blackfly like.

Harvesting and storing

Begin picking when pods are plump and the beans are about the size of a thumbnail; the scar on each bean should still be green or white, not black. Small pods can be cooked whole. Pick regularly from the bottom up. Surplus beans freeze well after a brief blanch.

Common problems

Blackfly crowd the soft tips from late spring, which is why pinching out and early sowings help. Chocolate spot and rust can mark the leaves in damp or late seasons; good spacing improves airflow. Mice dig up autumn-sown seeds, and slugs nibble young shoots.

Read more on the problems that most often hit broad beans:

Not sure what you're looking at? Try diagnosing it by symptom.

Month-by-month reminders

Jobs for broad beans come round in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October and November. Each month page lists the rest of the garden's jobs for the same weeks.

Grow alongside

Sources

Names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; timings and spacings reflect UK growing practice and were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.