BC Living
You’ve Gotta Try This In May
How to Support BC Wineries Now
Embark on Culinary Adventures: 5 Must-Try Solo Dining Experiences Around BC
4 Tips on Balancing a Nutritious Diet with a Side of Indulgence
Choosing Connection: A BC Family Day Pledge to Prioritize Presence Over Plans
Embracing Plant-Based Living this Veganuary and Beyond
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
B.C. Adventures: Our picks for May
Spring into Fun in Kamloops: The Best Events in the City
7 BC Retreats Where Solo Travellers Can Find Inner Peace and Wellness
BC Distilled
Melodies and Museums: Solo-Friendly Entertainment for the Independent Traveller
Arts Club Theatre Company Celebrates 60 Years
SOLO CHIC: 5 Essential Pieces for the Stylish Solo Traveller
8 Gadgets and Gear for Your Solo Adventures
A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Souvenir Hunting in BC
Interested in planting fava beans but not sure where or when? The Zero-Mile Diet author Carolyn Herriot knows the answer
Here are some of my little favas, planted in November and raring to go in my February garden
These are questions that I used to wonder about, and ones that I am asked frequently this time of year. Fava beans (Vicia faba) – also called broad beans, Windsor beans, faba beans or even horse beans – are a cool-season crop best planted in a bright and sunny spot.
The West Coast Seeds Gardening Guide suggests planting them 5 cm (2 in.) deep and 15 cm (6 in.) apart.
For West Coast gardeners wondering if they missed the boat by not planting fava beans last fall, the answer is no! You can plant them in October through November, certainly, but it’s also fine to sow them in February or even in into early spring. And for those in colder areas, you are best to plant in spring, even as late as May, once the ground has warmed up.
Now that you know when to plant them, you might be asking why you should plant them! And that’s an easy answer: Fava beans are a valuable crop for both the table and the garden, the amazing Carolyn Herriot, of The Zero-Mile Diet, frequently reminds me.
Bestselling edible-gardening author Herriot, who just released The Zero-Mile Diet Cookbook, is a big fan of growing fava beans, and in her own words, here’s why:
Here’s what Carolyn Herriot says about aphids on fava beans:
“Black aphids can be a problem for beans in late spring, when they colonize tips of tall plants. (The only benefit is that the aphids attract ladybugs, so you could regard this as a good “lure” situation.)
If aphid colonies build up, I snap infested tops off the stalks; aphids don’t fly, they crawl, so it takes a long time for colonies to re-establish. Removing the tip signals the plant to set seed and matures the beans.
In the beginning aphids do not affect the quality or production of beans, and are just an eyesore, but if left to smother the plant they could weaken it beyond recovery.”