Fababans are not actually beans. Nevertheless, the seeds are edible and also very nutritious. We show you how to cultivate them properly.
The field bean (Vicia faba) has been more and more forgotten in recent years. With horse bean, fava bean, broad bean, broad bean or broad bean, several meanings are known. In the botanical sense, however, the field bean is not a bean, but is counted among the vetches. Since broad beans can hardly be found in supermarkets these days, it is all the more worthwhile to grow these tasty and he althy vegetables yourself.
Meaning of the Broad Bean
The cultivation of broad beans dates back almost 9,000 years. This makes the broad bean one of the oldest known cultivated plants. Up until the 18th century, the he althy bean was one of the staple foods in Europe. Today, the field bean is either completely unknown, or it is known as animal feed. In the tropics, the importance of the broad bean has survived.
In the course of the boom in organic farming, more importance is being attached to broad beans again. Cultivation is also possible without a green thumb and the harvest time extends to about two months. If harvested early, the taste is particularly pleasant. Not least because of the valuable ingredients, the field bean should not disappear from our gardens and from our menu.
| Fava beans (Vicia faba) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | herbaceous; Stem quadrangular, unbranched, hollow and glabrous |
| Growth: | 50 - 150 cm |
| Fruits: | Legumes with 2 - 6 seeds |
| Root system: | Taproot, up to 1 m long |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | Fluffy, chalky, rich in nutrients, fresh and moist |
Nutrients of the broad bean
The field bean is rich in proteins and can therefore be used by vegans and vegetarians as an alternative to animal products. Furthermore, the broad bean has a high fiber content and can provide us with iron, magnesium and calcium as well as valuable vitamins from the B group.
With a protein content of about 30 percent, the field bean has justonce two percent fat. The proportion of carbohydrates is a maximum of 50 percent. This makes horse beans a he althy food that can be prepared and used in many ways.
Plant broad beans
The right location for the broad bean
The broad bean prefers a sunny site. Dryness should be avoided. The broad bean loves moist air and moist substrate. However, this should not be confused with wetness. Because the plants do not tolerate waterlogging.
A distinction can be made between favorable and unfavorable plant neighbours:
Mix culture possible with:
Tomatoes
Spinach
Broccoli
Celery
Cucumbers
Potatoes
unfavorable neighbors:
Sunflowers
Rapeseed
Legumes
The ideal substrate for field beans
Since the field bean has taproots and these dig deep into the ground, loose and deep soil is a prerequisite for he althy plant growth. Heavy clay soil is less favorable and should be loosened and mixed with sand before planting. If the soil is limed, this is also beneficial for the broad bean to thrive. Mature compost can be incorporated as a slow release fertilizer when preparing the soil.
Tip: If you have the opportunity to determine the pH value of the soil: 6.5 to 7 are ideal values.
Sow broad beans
Sowing can begin in February. The temperatures should be at least three degrees. Frost must not prevail. After severe winters, seeds can be sown until April. The sowing depth should be six to ten centimetres. A seed spacing of 20 centimeters must be maintained. The germination period is a few days. You can harvest the field bean about three to five months after sowing.
Sowing - step by step
1. Find a location2. Prepare the soil
3. Improve the soil
4. Create planting holes
5. Note the planting distance6. Bring in the seeds
7. Close the planting holes
8. Press the soil down gently
9. Water the soil
Plant early fava beans
Fava beans can be preferred indoors. This can start in April. After the ice saints, from mid-May, the plants can be planted outdoors.
Tip: To protect the plants, the soil can be piled up around the young field beans.
This stabilizes the plant and at the same time protects against diseases and pests.
Care for broad beans
Water the broad beans correctly
When the field bean starts flowering, the water requirement increases. It is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out. The substrate should feel slightly damp, but should not appear wet.
Tip: If you water too little, the plant will drop flowers or pods.
Fertilize field beans correctly
When planted, the field bean receives a complete fertilizer containing nitrogen. It is also important to ensure that the potassium content is as high as possible. If the broad bean is sufficiently supplied with potassium, it can absorb moisture from the soil better.
Popular varieties at a glance
The field bean has a large number of varieties. Some popular varieties are listed in the following table:
| Type | Flower Color / Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Robin Hood | • low-growing • suitable for container planting • tender and tasty grains |
| Onsabrück Market | • old variety • medium early • light grain |
| Julia | • colorful flowers • early sowing possible • high yield |
| Hunsrueck | • large fruits • beige grain |
| Triple White | • tender, tasty grains • early yield |
| Hangdown | • old variety • medium • green grain |
| Piccola | • productive • stable • green grain |
Recognize diseases and pests on broad beans
The field bean can be attacked by the following diseases and pests:
- Rust fungus
- Black bean aphid
- Mildew
- Focal spot disease
- Root Rot
Rust fungus
If the broad bean is infested with the rust fungus, spots resembling rust appear on the surface of the leaves. Home remedies are hardly effective against the rust fungus. Chemical control should be avoided. To prevent the fungus from spreading, the entire plant should be discarded.
Warning: The fungus survives on the compost. Therefore, infested plants belong in the residual waste or are burned.
Black bean aphid
Anyone who cultivates euonymus or viburnum in the garden will have to deal with the black bean aphid. The pests need the plants mentioned as hosts. The black bean aphid can be insect-free on the host plant as well as on the field bean with neem products such as the COMPO BIOexpel neem. Good results are also achieved with a broth made from rhubarb leaves.
Mildew
Both powdery mildew and downy mildew can occur. This depends on the weather.
How to recognize the infestation:
- Powdery mildew - whitish coating on the upper side of the leaves
- Downy mildew - yellowish spots on the upper side of the leaf, white-grey coating on the underside of the leaf
Powdery mildew can be removed quite easily by spraying with diluted whole milk. Downy mildew is difficult to combat with simple household remedies and the plants are easier to remove if the infestation is severe.
Focal spot disease
This fungus can be identified by burn marks on the leaves. In addition to leaves and flowers, the seeds can also be affected by the infection. Damp weather favors the outbreak of focal spot disease. There are no effective remedies and the plants must be disposed of.
Tip: The field bean should be relocated over several years. Otherwise, the disease may recur.
Root Rot
Root rot occurs when plants are exposed to waterlogging. The risk increases in persistently damp and cool weather conditions. Appropriate care measures can largely prevent root rot.
Harvest broad beans
The field beans can be harvested about 100 days after sowing. You can easily check for yourself whether the broad bean is ready to harvest. A bean is broken in the middle. If the break is smooth and lush green, the harvest can begin.
The sleeves can be easily snapped off with your fingers. In contrast to conventional beans, these field beans are not suitable for consumption.
Tip: The young leaves can be added to a colorful summer salad.
Process broad bean
The beans are removed from the pods. Then boil them or blanch the beans for about two minutes. If the beans are harvested very early, they can also be enjoyed raw.
Warning: This is an exception. All other beans are poisonous when raw.
After briefly steaming the broad beans, toss them in butter or oil and season with s alt and pepper. Broad beans can be refined with cheese or eaten with spinach. The broad bean is also an ideal accompaniment to hearty meat dishes.
Storage broad beans
Freshly harvested beans should be used up as quickly as possible. If you want to store the broad beans longer, you can dry or freeze them. Broad beans will keep in the fridge for a week at most if the pod is left on the core.