No, they don't only germinate at low temps. I think the temp you have is more like a ball park temp they'll germinate at. They'll go down to 35 and still germinate and they'll also germinate at higher temps. I don't know your climate so can't give specific information on when to start them.

Thanks Flora - glad to hear that - I thought 41 was kind of strange. We're pretty warm in Georgia - my first real frost isn't likely until late November. Will continue to search!

Hi Cindy. Last year I planted 5 varieties of fava in Mid October. They all grew well and had blooms all winter but set no pods.until about Feb. Only one variety produced a good crop. They are named negreta and I got the seed from Territoral seed. As the name implies the dry seed is black. I plan on planting them again in a couple of weeks.
There is probably not much difference in our climates so I think they would also produce for you.
Harry
Harry

Hi Harry,

Thank you! I'll be ordering some of those. I would love fresh beans in February...

Cindy

In my climate November sown favas don't crop til late May so I'm not sure you'll get beans in February, Cindy. Harry's area is a bit warmer than ours I think.

Hi Flora,

Thanks for the note - I think you're right that February would be a stretch for me. I suspect that I'm between the two of you for temps. We probably have more of a winter than Harry does, but we heat up pretty quickly in late winter early spring. Last year, my last frost was in February! I suspect that was some sort of record. I got the favas in yesterday and hope to see sprouts soon - we're having a cool rainy spell, but back to the heat again on Thursday.

My favas have sprouted and are tall enough to be happily mulched. We're had some cool temps for the last few days and the favas appear to thrive in them. It's warming back up this week, so hoping the mulch will moderate their temps a bit.

I am glad you got them planted. For me it is too late to plant now, since the stink bugs get them in the spring here. I am only multiplying seed for an italian variety that has a shorter DTM so I can avoid this problem. Just planted them 2 days ago, my other seed has too long a DTM.

I just planted favas in Spain near the Mediterranean, the temperature averaged in the 70s, they sprouted just fine. Planting earlier works better in warmer climates, and they do not seem to need cold to sprout.