Now available: Broad Windsor Fava Bean seeds in bulk! This certified organic English heirloom variety was produced in Ojai, California. We’ve previously offered this variety in packet form but this year
Fava Beans - also referred to as bell beans, broad beans, faba bean, field-bean, horse bean, horsebean, tick-bean, and Windsor bean - were cultivated and consumed up to 11,000 years ago, and domesticated in the Middle East. Favas can be grown either as a cool or warm season cover crop depending on location. They are grown as a winter annual in warm temperate and subtropical areas, and as a warm season crop in cooler areas. Favas can be grown as a cover crop or food crop - both at the same time. As a cover crop, favas provide biomass, nitrogen fixation, modest weed suppression, an upright growth habit, and a strong tap root that reduces soil erosion. Favas are also a good pollinator plant for beneficial insects such as bumblebees, European honeybees (Apis mellifera), and other species of native bees. The flowers are very fragrant.