Field beans
Field beans prefer heavier clay soil
- How to grow field beans | Growing Guides
- Tags
- green manures
Field beans are quick to establish and fix nitrogen in their roots, feeding the next crop after digging in. Field beans thrive in heavy clay soil.
| Growing calendar | |
|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Sep - Nov |
| Cut down/dig in | Feb - Apr |
How to grow field beans
Sow field beans 2cm deep and 10cm apart, in rows 15cm apart. Field beans will establish quickly. They are excellent nitrogen fixers, but make sure you cut them down before they start growing actual beans, as this takes the nitrogen away.
Incorporating field beans into your soil
Cut down or hoe off the leaves of your field beans before digging in the whole plants four weeks before the soil is needed for your next crop and before flowering, which happens when the plants are about 30-45cm tall.
Tips on growing field beans
If you are following a crop rotation system, field beans should be grown in the same area as other legume plants.
| Growing notes | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Average growing period | From 20 weeks |
| Equipment needed | None |
| Germination time | 7-14 days |
| Average plant size | 30-45cm tall, 20cm wide |
| Seed saving notes | Annual, self-pollinating |
| Latin name | Vicia faba |
| Family group (for rotation systems) | Legumes |