Vicia faba var. minor
Field bean
Common names: Horse bean, Tic bean
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 10 cm, rows 30 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below −10 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Description
The field bean (Vicia faba var. minor) is a small‑seeded relative of the common fava bean and one of the most effective nitrogen‑fixing cover crops. Its deep roots loosen the soil and, through nodulating bacteria, leave abundant nitrogen for subsequent crops. As a winter form it survives mild winters and starts early in spring.
Care instructions
Sow the field bean as a summer variety in March/April (weeks 10‑17) or as a winter variety in September/October (weeks 36‑43) about five centimeters deep in loose, not too dry soil. It tolerates heavy soils well. Cut or roll the crop into the soil while the stems are still juicy, and work it in flatly.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Apr, Sep–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 3 °C, ideally 10 °C
- Days to sprout
- 7 to 14 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 5 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich, lime-loving
Give the field bean a deep, medium-heavy to heavy loamy soil with good water retention, and avoid waterlogging, which harms the root nodules. The soil should be well aerated and not too acidic. If the pH is below 6, add lime so that the nodule bacteria can fix nitrogen reliably.
Legumes collect nitrogen through nodule bacteria and are an ideal preceding crop for heavy feeders; they themselves need a break of about 4 years in the same spot.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov
As a legume, the field bean fixes nitrogen from the air itself through its root nodules. You do not need to add extra nitrogen, and it would even inhibit the symbiosis. In autumn or in early spring before sowing, prepare the soil with mature compost, which you work in shallowly; once the plants have emerged, no further feeding is needed.
Overwintering
The field bean is an annual. After the summer harvest the plant dies back, so there is nothing to overwinter; simply sow again outdoors next spring (from February/March, as soon as the soil can be worked) and store seed dry and cool. As a young plant it tolerates light frost; if you want to start even earlier, you can sow a special winter field bean variety in autumn.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate the field bean exclusively by direct sowing outdoors. Other methods are not practical for this annual legume. Sow the large seeds from the end of February to the beginning of March (earlier in mild winters) and by mid-April at the latest, as soon as the soil has dried out, can be worked and has warmed to about 3 °C, because the field bean is a cold-stratification seed. Set the seeds 5 to 7 cm deep (rather deeper on light soils, shallower on heavy, damp soils) so that they have good contact with the soil and a good water supply. Leave a spacing of about 10 to 15 cm in the row and 45 to 50 cm between rows. Soaking beforehand or sowing under cover is not necessary; direct-sown seed germinates reliably in cool spring soil. Germination takes about two weeks; the emerged plant easily survives late frosts down to about -5 °C. If you want to save your own seed, leave a few strong pods on the plant until they reach black ripeness (dry, brown-black pods), then take out the seeds and let them dry further in the shade with good air circulation. Note: the field bean is strongly cross-pollinated by bumblebees (on average about 45 %), so it only stays true to type if you keep a large distance from other Vicia faba varieties. Excluding pollinators completely does not help, though. Without insect visits the plant sets hardly any seed.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Field bean yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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