Fava Beans

Planted at Mount Vernon

Lower Garden

Slave Cabin Garden

Hardiness Zones

Average annual extreme minimum temperature 1976-2005

Fava beans, a cool season plant, performs best in either the spring or the fall. They are quite robust and can grow to three feet high, producing many large pods which are best eaten shelled.

Latin Name

Vicia faba

Family

Fabaceae

Also Known As

Broad bean , Horse bean

Type of Plant

Annuals

Vegetables

Seasons

Fall

Spring

Specifications

Max Height: 3'

Max Spread: 2'

Uses

Annual

Edible

Vegetable

Sunlight Exposure

Full Sun

Colors

Native Range

Northern Africa and southern Asia

History

Of the broad, or "horse" bean, Jefferson wrote John Taylor, 29 Dec. 1794, “The President has tried it without success.” It is possible that Washington's failure was due to the hot Virginia summers, which this bean cannot tolerate.

Bartlett Tree Expert Company has been working with Mount Vernon Estate since 2011 providing expert arboricultural care and GPS mapping for the estate’s historic trees, as well as support from their research facility. Mount Vernon is proud to partner with Bartlett Tree Experts and appreciates their sponsorship of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Plant Finder App.

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Purchase our historic seeds, collected from plants grown at Mount Vernon and plant them in your own garden.

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