How to Grow Fava Beans in Zone 7

Research your growing region to be sure that you can grow fava beans. Harvest to Table notes that fava beans do best in temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and can grow in 75 degrees Fahrenheit at the warmest. Hot areas may not support fava beans, even in zone 7.

Plant beans in early spring after the last frost dates, which range from early to mid-April in zone 7. Although fava beans are hardy to frost when they're mature, young seedlings will fail in cold temperatures. This timing also gives the beans a full 80 to 100 days to mature. Choose a location that gets full sun for eight hours every day, with complete drainage.

Amend the soil with a combination of half quick-draining soil and half organic compost, to a depth of 4 inches. All vegetable plants require loose, quick-draining soil and will fail in standing water. Organic compost adds a boost of rich acidic nutrition to the soil for the bean plants' growth. Add a dose of 5-10-10 fertilizer to the soil to further increase the nutrients.

Plant the seedlings 2 to 4 inches apart, and water them with an inch of water. Maintain fava beans through the summer with 1 inch of water a week to keep the soil from drying. Since fava beans are hardy to frost, keep them outdoors until their maturity, regardless of the frost date in zone 7.