Fava Bean (Broad Bean) in Zone 10a & 10b

Vicia faba

When to plant fava bean (broad bean) in zone 10b

Zones 10a and 10b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Fava Bean (Broad Bean) doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoorsNot typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outsideJan 9–Jan 16
Estimated harvestMar 27–Apr 3 (~77 days after direct-sowing)

Spacing: 4 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-4 ft.

Fava Bean (Broad Bean)
Photo: Kolforn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

Fava beans (also called broad beans) look and grow like nothing else in the bean family. Where snap and pole beans want warm soil and hate frost, fava beans want cool weather and go in the ground earliest of any bean you'll grow.

How fava bean (broad bean) fits zone 10's season

Zone 10b's frost-free window runs about 324 days, from January 30 to December 20. Fava Bean (Broad Bean) needs about 77 days from sowing to first harvest.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Fava Bean (Broad Bean).

Where to buy fava bean seeds

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See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing fava bean (broad bean)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)

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Growing Fava Bean (Broad Bean) in USDA zone 10b

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Growing Fava Bean (Broad Bean) in USDA zone 10b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.

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