RHS Growing Guides
How to grow broad beans
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Broad beans.
Getting Started
Broad beans are an easy and productive crop, producing valuable early harvests, before most other vegetables are ready. They can be sown at various times from autumn to late spring, depending on your growing conditions and the variety, and if you sow several batches you can enjoy fresh, delicious beans from early to late summer.
For the best flavour, pick broad beans when the pods are young and plump
Month by Month
Jobs to do now
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
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| Harvest |
Choosing
Broad bean varieties offer a choice of pod length, bean colour, plant size and sowing time
For a reliable crop, look for varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), as these performed well in our trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg (135kB pdf) and our Recommended Varieties below. You’ll also find an array of different beans growing in the veg areas of the RHS gardens, so do visit to compare varieties and pick up growing tips.
What and where to buy
Broad bean seeds are readily available in garden centres and from online retailers. You may also find young plants in garden centres or online in spring – ideal if you don’t have the time or space to grow from seed, or just want a few plants.
Recommended Varieties
Heritage variety producing slender pods up to 20cm long, with seven or eight beans in each.
Dwarf variety, only reaching 45cm (18in) tall, so ideal in containers and windy sites. Early maturing.
The best variety for autumn sowing and overwintering. The long pods are early to mature.
Preparing the Ground
Choose a warm, sunny, sheltered growing site with well-drained soil. Weed the area thoroughly, then fork in plenty of well-rotted manure or home-made garden compost – at least two bucketfuls per square metre/yard – to improve moisture retention. Ideally do this a few weeks before sowing or planting out, to allow the ground to settle. Alternatively, if you're practising no-dig, mulch the soil with organic matter ahead of sowing or planting directly into the mulch.
Sowing
Broad beans are straightforward to grow from seed, and are usually sown in late winter (indoors, or outdoors with protection), or in spring outdoors. In mild regions or very warm, sheltered sites, they can also be sown in late autumn, for a crop as early as May.
Sowing indoors
Indoor sowing keeps the seeds safe from mice, and the young plants away from slugs and snails
Sowing outdoors
Sow several batches of seeds during March and April, for a longer cropping season
Sowing instructions vary depending on where you are sowing your seeds:
In the ground – sow broad bean seeds, with the scar facing downwards, 5–7.5cm (2–3in) deep and 15–23cm (6–9in) apart, depending on the variety. Space single rows 45cm (18in) apart and double rows 23cm (9in) apart with 60cm (2ft) between each double row. It’s also worth sowing a few extra seeds at the end of the rows, to produce spare plants to fill any gaps left by seeds that fail to germinate. To extend the cropping season throughout the summer, sow several batches a few weeks apart.
In containers – sow dwarf varieties in large containers, at least 40cm (15in) wide, filled with peat-free multi-purpose or loam-based compost. Sow the seeds, with the scar facing downwards, 5cm (2in) deep and 15cm (6in) apart.
Planting
Young broad bean plants that you’ve grown from seed indoors, or bought as plug plants, can be planted outside in early to mid-spring. Harden them off, to avoid a check in growth, and make sure your planting site is prepared in advance (see Preparing the ground above).
Plant broad bean plants 15–23cm (6–9in) apart, either in single rows 45cm (18in) apart or in double rows 23cm (9in) apart, with 60cm (2ft) between each double row. Water in well.
You can also plant dwarf varieties in large containers, at least 40cm (15in) wide, filled with peat-free multi-purpose or loam-based compost. Space plants 15cm (6in) apart. Position the container in a sunny, sheltered spot, and water the plants in well.
Plant Care
Watering
Broad beans growing in the ground don't generally need regular watering, unless they are grown in light, free-draining soil. However, giving plants a good soak as they start flowering, and again two weeks later, greatly improves the harvest.
Broad beans in containers require frequent watering throughout the growing season, as they dry out more quickly than plants in the ground. For water-saving tips, see our guides below.
Mulching
Spread a deep mulch of garden compost around the plants after planting to help hold moisture in the soil and deter weed germination.
Feeding
Broad beans usually get all the nutrients they need from the soil. But, if you’re growing dwarf broad beans in a container, start feeding when the first flowers appear, applying a high potassium liquid fertiliser, such as tomato feed, once a fortnight.
Weeding
Weed regularly between the rows with a hoe, especially when plants are young, to reduce competition for light and water.
Supporting plants
Insert stakes at the end of rows, then run string around the outside to hold the plants up
Small or dwarf varieties usually support each other, especially when planted in double rows, but you can add twiggy sticks to prop them up if necessary.
Pinching out shoot tips
Harvesting
Pick young pods regularly so the plants continue producing more for as long as possible
Regular picking encourages further pods to form. Use secateurs or scissors to detach them, to avoid damaging the plants. Pods lower down the plants mature first – check them every few days, as pods can ripen fast. You can also harvest the young shoot tips, to use like spinach.
Once harvesting has finished, cut plants down to the base and compost them. However, as legumes (peas, beans and related plants) fix nitrogen from the air at their roots, leave these in the ground to boost soil nitrogen levels. Alternatively, dig whole plants into the soil.
Problems
Broad beans are robust plants and generally crop well. Seeds sown outdoors may be eaten by mice, and slugs and snails may feed on the young shoots. Black aphids often colonise the shoot tips. For tips on how to tackle these and other issues, see Common problems below.
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