Mick - I think George grows them down in Tahlequah. At least I think I read that.

Mick,

I agree with Carol. I am almost positive George has mentioned Fava Beans before. I also think some people in Texas and Oklahoma can and do grow them. They might do better planted in late summer for a fall harvest. I know that fava beans are more cold hardy than regular beans.

I went and googled to see if I could find instructions for growing them in Texs (there's always a billion more references for growing stuff in Texas than in Oklahoma, so I usually start there since we have similar climates) and found the paragraph linked below. It says to plant in fall for a spring harvest, which might work for parts of Texas that stay warmer than we do. I don't think they'd survive our winters, but I bet you could get them harvested by December, before colder weather really sets in.

I do not think seed will be easy to find locally, but you could order it online.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Fava Beans

I have grown them, but not in Oklahoma. If I were to grow them here I would certainly try starting them in August to see if they survive the heat and mature when the weather cools. I'd also plant them in late January and see if they produce before the real heat hits. It could be tricky here in Oklahoma, since the climate doesn't seem to know the meaning of "moderate."

I first encountered Fava beans while living in a high cool rain forest climate in the Mexican state of Puebla. We were at 7500 feet elevation and received 11 feet of precipitation per year. Corn took nearly 10 months to mature in that climate. There, they planted Favas (known in Spanish as habas) around the end of January and harvested, if I recall correctly, around the end of April.

Later, we moved to the high desert of the Mexican state of Hidalgo (5500 feet elevation). There we had flood irrigation and a warmer climate. No one there grew Favas. But when we tried planting in November/December we would start harvesting around the end of March. They did great!

One never knows till one tries. My parsnips are going great guns here in Tahlequah. Who'd have thought it? Those I sowed in January. I'm sure they'll make a good crop. I'm still thinning and find that the roots are developing.

Good luck Mick!

Here's a link to a thread by a friend in Arkansas who tried them this spring.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Favas in Arkansas

Thanks for the replies everyone.

George,
I read the link, very interesting. I'll have a try later in the year and put up a post on how things turn out.

Mick.

I have bought the seeds from a local garden store and tried growing them early in the spring but have had no luck getting them to produce beans. Maybe winter sowing is the key. They have cool-looking blossoms, if I remember correctly.