Broad Windsor Fava Bean

Broad Windsor seeds produce a broad windsor fava bean. Plants have an upright habit. Plants typically reach 37–48 in. Seeds generally emerge in 7–10 Days at 45–60 °F. The first representative harvest is generally reached in 80-89 Days from direct sowing.

About Broad Windsor

Broad Windsor is sold as a fava bean selection. The principal color is green, and the harvest form is Large pods containing broad, flat shell beans. Rich, buttery, and earthy after thorough cooking. Best uses include fresh shell beans, cooked mature beans, cool-season beds, and seed saving. Other seed records may list it as Bean.

• Scientific name:Vicia faba L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Spring/Fall
• Growth habit:Upright/Erect
• Plant height:37–48 in
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1.5 in
• Germination:7–10 Days at 45–60 °F
• Spacing:8 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.5–7.0
• Water:Moderate
• Support:No-Support
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• Harvest form:Large pods containing broad, flat shell beans
• Maturity:80-89 Days

History and seedkeeping context

Broad Windsor is one of the long-circulated English garden names for large-seeded fava beans. The broader crop was already important across the Near East, North Africa, and Europe long before modern cultivar naming. Garden records consistently distinguish Broad Windsor by its broad, substantial shell beans and upright cool-season plants. Claims that the name proves one precise medieval date, one town-based breeding event, or an unbroken noble-garden lineage go beyond the documentation retained here. Continued stewardship of Broad Windsor depends on keeping the original source, lot, year, growing location, isolation method, representative plant count, and harvest traits together. Those records help future seedkeepers distinguish the named variety from similar market classes while preserving both its useful traits and its documented history.

Why this variety is distinct

Broad Windsor is selected for large shell beans and substantial pods rather than compact snap-bean production. It performs best when established in cool weather and given enough space for its upright canopy. Harvest young beans for a tender green stage, or let pods dry fully for seed and pantry use; thorough cooking is appropriate for fava beans.

Harvest and kitchen or field use

Pick pods for fresh shell beans when the broad seeds are full but tender, or leave selected pods until fully dry for storage and seed. The crop is described as Large pods containing broad, flat shell beans. Fresh shell beans, cooked mature beans, cool-season beds, and seed saving. Rich, buttery, and earthy after thorough cooking. Cook mature fava beans before eating and use normal food-safety precautions.

How to grow Broad Windsor

Direct sow 1.5 in deep during the spring/fall planting window. Keep the seed zone near 45–60 °F and evenly moist until emergence, normally 7–10 Days. Grow in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.5–7.0. Space plants 8 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Keep the soil evenly moist through flowering and pod fill without leaving the root zone saturated. No trellis or staking is normally required, although low edging can keep heavily loaded plants off the soil. Plants typically reach 37–48 in.

Season care

• Direct sow Broad Windsor during the spring/fall planting window while soil is workable and before sustained heat.
• Keep the seedbed evenly moist during emergence, but do not leave large legume seed in saturated soil.
• No trellis or staking is normally required, although low edging can keep heavily loaded plants off the soil.
• Pick pods for fresh shell beans when the broad seeds are full but tender, or leave selected pods until fully dry for storage and seed. The crop is described as Large pods containing broad, flat shell beans.
• Use 80-89 Days as the planning range, while allowing for shifts caused by weather, soil temperature, and plant stress.

Maturity and harvest timing

80-89 Days from direct sowing to the first eating harvest under suitable conditions. Pick pods for fresh shell beans when the broad seeds are full but tender, or leave selected pods until fully dry for storage and seed. The crop is described as Large pods containing broad, flat shell beans.

Saving seed

Fava flowers can receive substantial insect-carried pollen, so use meaningful isolation or controlled pollination when varietal purity matters. Save from several healthy, true-to-type Broad Windsor plants rather than one exceptional individual. Mark seed plants before the eating harvest, remove clear off-types before they contribute pollen, and let seed reach full biological maturity. Shell only fully dry pods, discard moldy or insect-damaged seed, and dry the cleaned seed again before storage. Label the lot with crop, variety, source, year, location, plant count, isolation method, and selection traits. Keep the original packet and lot history with the saved seed so later grow-outs can be compared without relying only on memory or seed color.

Common problems

Watch Broad Windsor for aphids, leaf spots, root rots, and pod-feeding insects. Cool wet soil can favor disease, while prolonged heat can reduce flowering and pod set. Use clean seed, rotate crops, avoid overhead irrigation late in the day, and give the canopy enough room for air movement. Remove badly diseased residue instead of saving seed from affected plants.

Frequently asked questions