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VegetablesHardyAnnual
Field Bean
Field bean is a hardy fava-type legume grown both for edible beans and as a nitrogen-fixing green manure in cool-season rotations. It tolerates tougher conditions than many beans and is particularly useful where autumn sowing can improve soil before later crops.
Basic information
Category
Vegetables
Lifecycle
Annual
Hardiness
Hardy
Planting partners
1 companion · 5 crops to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
90 days
Germination window
7–14 days
Germination temperature
5–18 °C
Plant spacing
20 cm
Row spacing
45 cm
Sowing depth
5 cm
Height
120 cm
Spread
20 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Care tips
Grow field beans in cool conditions where they can root strongly before spring growth accelerates. Provide support in windy sites, keep weeds down while young, and either harvest the pods or dig the plants in before flowering if you are using them mainly as a green manure.
Common pests
Blackfly, chocolate spot, slugs, mice.
