Windsor Broad Beans Vegetable Seeds - West Coast Seeds - BN150A

PRODUCT DETAILS

These wonderful large beans mature in 75-85 days when sown in the spring, or 6 months if fall sown. The plants grow 90-120cm (3-4') tall. The light green pods, which contain 6-7 large pale green seeds each, shell easily. Windsor broad bean seeds are superb for family gardens and easy for small children to handle. Broad Windsor is intended for growing as a food crop. The seeds it produces are large and succulent, unlike the small-seeded fava we offer as a cover crop. This large variety will fix nitrogen in your soil, so it’s perfect for planting in the fall, harvesting in the spring, and following with nitrogen-loving crops like Brassicas, lettuce, or spinach. Fresh or dried, broad beans must be cooked before eating to rid them of potentially toxic alkaloids. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, or cooked like spinach. Broad beans are one of the world’s most ancient and widespread food crops.

• Matures in 75-85 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
• Broad beans
• Light green pods with 6-7 seeds each
• Shell easily
• Open-pollinated seeds
• Matures in 75-85 days or 6 months if fall sown

All About Windsor

• Latin:

  Vicia faba. Family: Fabaceae

• Difficulty:

  Easy

• Season & Zone:

  Season: Cool season. Exposure: Full sun. Zone: Hardy to Zone 3

• Timing:

  Direct sow October/November in mild winter areas. Direct sow February to May in other areas. Tall, soft plants won’t withstand winter well. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-21°C (50-70°F).

• Starting:

  Use a broad bean or combination inoculant to provide a source of nitrogen. Sow seed 5cm (2″) deep, 15cm (6″) apart in double rows 23cm (9″) apart. Germination takes 10-14 days, depending on conditions.

• Growing:

  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Enrich the soil with compost prior to planting. Keep overwintered plants weeded. Provide stakes or strings between rows to stop plants from falling over.

• Harvest:

  Pick when the pods appear plump and begin to droop from the weight of the seeds. Shell (like peas) and cook or use in soup. For dried beans, wait until the pods start to shrivel. Caution: some people are highly allergic to broad beans.

• Seed Info:

  In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2-3 years. Per 100′ row: 450 seeds, per acre: 98M seeds.

• Diseases & Pests:

  When black aphids appear in May/June pinch off the growing tips on which the aphids feed. Spray the plants with blasts of water to dislodge remaining aphids.

• Companion Planting:

  Excellent for fixing nitrogen in the soil. Avoid planting broad beans near onions.