Planting Broad Beans

Growing Conditions

• Broad beans prefer cool soil, (45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit), and air temperatures under 80 degrees F. This makes them ideal for early spring planting, and they should be planted as soon as the soil can be worked. Broad beans will tolerate light frosts, so don't worry if you plant them before the last frost date in your area. If a heavy frost is predicted, protect them with a floating row cover. Broad beans need full sun with protection from strong winds, so grow them on the lee side of taller plants. Broad beans stop producing pods when daytime temperatures go above 80 degrees and can be replaced at this time with a warm weather crop. Broad beans should be kept moist, but overwatering can lead to disease and flower drop. Broad beans are relatively disease- and pest-free and can tolerate some pest damage without a reduction in pod production.

Preparing the Soil

• Broad beans, like all beans, need well-drained, loose soil, with plenty of organic matter. The fall before planting, till compost, rotted manure or leaf mulch into the top 2 to 3 inches of soil. The ideal soil will have a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Add lime, calcium carbonate if the soil is too acidic, and calcium, iron or aluminum sulfate if the soil is alkaline. Make the adjustments to the pH at the same time you work the organic matter into the soil.

Planting Broad Beans

• Choose seeds that are inoculated with a bacterial inoculate like Rhizobium phaseoli. Make a furrow 1 to 2 inches deep and drop the beans in every 6 inches. Space rows 24 to 36 inches apart. Water the seeds; they should start sprouting in 7 to 10 days. For the healthiest plants never plant broad beans in soil other beans have been grown in. Plant potatoes, cucumbers, celery, strawberries or corn after broad beans; broad bean roots fix nitrogen and further loosen the soil, making ideal conditions for the other plants.