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Broad bean The Sutton

Vicia faba The Sutton
Broad bean, fava bean, field bean, bell bean, horse bean

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Dwarf variety, about 30 cm (12in) tall, that produces small, green, tender and tasty grains. This is a variety awarded by the prestigious RHS Society, perfectly suited for square vegetable gardens and container gardening. The sowing can be done in autumn or spring for a harvest from June to August.
Ease of cultivation
Beginner
Height at maturity
30 cm
Spread at maturity
25 cm
Soil moisture
Damp soil
Germination time (days)
30 days
Sowing method
Direct sowing, Sowing under cover
Sowing period February to April, September to October
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Harvest time June to August
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Description

The Sutton Broad Bean is a dwarf variety, reaching a height of about 30 cm (12in), that produces small, green, tender, and tasty beans. It is an award-winning variety by the prestigious RHS Society, perfectly suited for square foot gardens and container gardening. Sowing can be done in autumn or spring for a harvest from June to August.

The Broad Bean is a legume that belongs to the large family of Fabaceae, like the bean and the pea. After falling slightly out of favor, it seems to be making a comeback in vegetable gardens. It is a vegetable worth rediscovering without hesitation, as its cultivation is easy.

Originally from Asia and the Middle East, the Broad Bean is widely cultivated worldwide, both for its flavor and its nutritional qualities. Rich in energy nutrients, it is considered a starchy food. There are many varieties of Broad Beans, with varying pod sizes and grain colors: some are white, others are brown.

The Broad Bean can be consumed both raw and cooked. However, it is a delicacy that requires some effort to prepare fresh Broad Beans: you will need to shell them first, and then remove the second skin from each bean.

To enjoy them raw with a pinch of salt, like radishes, you should harvest them when they are young and tender, thus avoiding the need for a second peeling. Generally, you will need 1 kg of unshelled Broad Beans to obtain 250 g of peeled Broad Beans.

Cultivating Broad Beans is easy, and if your soil is rather poor, clayey, and moist, you can rejoice for once! Broad Beans are perfect for you. Indeed, like all legumes, they are not demanding. And they perform best in heavy and very fresh soils. They are also not very frost-sensitive and can be sown as early as February in most parts of France.

Harvest: Harvesting Broad Beans simply involves picking pods at different degrees of ripeness, depending on how you want to consume them: raw, cooked, or dried.

Storage: Fresh Broad Beans can be stored for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. You can also dry them and store them at room temperature. Broad Beans freeze very well too.


Gardener's tip: Broad Beans are the preferred vegetable of black aphids. It is rare for them not to be attacked by a colony that usually descends massively on a whole row. To dislodge them without resorting to insecticides, you can spray water mixed with black soap (2 tablespoons per liter).

This year, in our garden, having read that their presence could promote fruiting, we let them be. Quickly, we noticed the presence of ladybugs. They were not numerous enough, admittedly, but the harvest was quite satisfactory, even if, it must be admitted, the pods were black and rather sticky! In the end, we enjoyed ourselves, and we believe that ladybugs are now more numerous in the garden because there is not a single aphid on our Nasturtiums.

Harvest

Harvest time June to August
Type of vegetable Seed and pod vegetable
Size of vegetable Small
Interest Flavour, Productive

Plant habit

Height at maturity 30 cm
Spread at maturity 25 cm
Growth rate normal

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour medium green

Botanical data

Genus

Vicia

Species

faba

Cultivar

The Sutton

Family

Fabaceae

Other common names

Broad bean, fava bean, field bean, bell bean, horse bean

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Annual / Perennial

Annual

Product reference23651

Planting and care

The germination of the Broad Bean occurs at a minimum temperature of 8°C. The emergence takes between 8 and 30 days.

Sowing is done from October to the end of November in the South-West or under shelter everywhere else for a harvest from mid-May to the end of June. In the rest of France, the sowing period extends from early February to the end of April for a harvest from mid-June to the end of August.

The young Broad Bean plants tolerate negative temperatures but do not withstand several days at -5°C, so if you sow in winter or if the end of winter is icy, remember to shelter them under a small nantais tunnel.

In the sun, on loosened soil, just rake, trace furrows spaced 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) apart, with a depth of 3 to 4 centimetres (1 to 2 inches). Sow in rows, spacing the seeds 5 cm (2in) apart and cover.

Cultivation:

The Broad Bean is a frugal vegetable that thrives in heavy and moist soil. It does not require any prior fertilisation and is sown in well-loosened soil.

During its cultivation, it is advisable to mound up the plants when they reach a height of 30 cm (12in). This stimulates the formation of new roots and ensures better stability. At flowering, the top of the plant is traditionally pinched to promote pod formation and eliminate aphids, which tend to settle there first.

In windy regions, it is recommended to stake the Broad Beans (we do it a bit like with raspberries) so that, loaded with pods, they do not topple over at the first gust of wind.

In terms of companion planting, the Broad Bean is a good neighbour, especially because it has the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. It may increase the production of Cabbage and Lettuce. To repel aphids, you can also sow Basil and Phacelia between the rows of Broad Beans.

16
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€19.50

Seedlings

Sowing period February to April, September to October
Sowing method Direct sowing, Sowing under cover
Germination time (days) 30 days

Care

Soil moisture Wet
Disease resistance Good
Pruning No pruning necessary

Intended location

Type of use Vegetable garden
Hardiness Hardy down to -29°C (USDA zone 5) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), 192

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