[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":77},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-en-sowing-broad-beans-autumn-dates-by-climate-companions":3},{"article":4,"translations":60,"plants":65,"climates":74},{"translationKey":5,"title":6,"description":7,"date":8,"author":9,"image":-1,"imageAlt":10,"plants":11,"sources":13,"aiAssisted":56,"locale":57,"slug":58,"html":59},"2026-10-05-broad_bean","Sowing broad beans in autumn: dates by climate and good companions","Sow your broad beans outdoors this autumn: average windows by climate, spacing, germination and traditional companions for a spring harvest.","2026-10-05","Semiterra","Young broad bean plants in a row in an autumn vegetable garden on freshly worked soil",[12],"broad_bean",[14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53],{"name":15,"url":16},"Aujardin.info — Le calendrier du potager (reference: Île-de-France)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aujardin.info\u002Ffiches\u002Fcalendrier-potager.php",{"name":18,"url":19},"Jardiner Malin — Calendrier de semis et récolte au potager","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jardiner-malin.fr\u002Ffiche\u002Fcalendrier-semis-recolte-potager.html",{"name":21,"url":22},"La Bonne Graine (seed company) — Le calendrier des semis et des plants","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.labonnegraine.com\u002Fle-calendrier-des-semis-et-des-plants.htm",{"name":24,"url":25},"The Old Farmer's Almanac — Planting Calendar (New York City, last frost Apr 3; cross-checked with Minneapolis, last frost Apr 30)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.almanac.com\u002Fgardening\u002Fplanting-calendar\u002Fzipcode\u002F10001",{"name":27,"url":28},"RHS — Vegetable crop planner (school gardening)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rhs.org.uk\u002Feducation-learning\u002Fschool-gardening\u002Fresources\u002Ffood-growing\u002Fvegetable-crop-planner",{"name":30,"url":31},"Jardinamel — Germination (durée, température)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.jardinamel.fr\u002Fjardin\u002Fsemisgermination.php",{"name":33,"url":34},"Tous au potager — Distance de plantation des légumes : tableau des espacements","https:\u002F\u002Ftous-au-potager.fr\u002Fdistances-plantation-legumes\u002F",{"name":36,"url":37},"RHS — Grow your own vegetable guides (broad beans, peas, onions, garlic, cabbages, spinach, rhubarb)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rhs.org.uk\u002Fvegetables\u002F\u003Cname>\u002Fgrow-your-own",{"name":39,"url":40},"GrowVeg — How to Grow Fall-Planted Fava Beans","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.growveg.com\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-to-grow-fall-planted-fava-beans\u002F",{"name":42,"url":43},"Comptoir des Jardins — Semis des fèves","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.comptoirdesjardins.fr\u002Fcontent\u002Ffeves.html",{"name":45,"url":46},"Harvest to Table — Fava Bean Planting Time by Region","https:\u002F\u002Fharvesttotable.com\u002Ffava-bean-planting-time-by-region\u002F",{"name":48,"url":49},"Terre Vivante — Quand et comment semer les fèves au potager","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.terrevivante.org\u002Fcontenu\u002Fquand-comment-semer-feves-potager\u002F",{"name":51,"url":52},"Vilmorin — Comment semer les petits pois en automne; Comment semer les fèves en automne","https:\u002F\u002Fvilmorin-jardin.fr\u002Fpotager-et-aromates\u002Fcomment-semer-les-petits-pois-en-automne\u002F",{"name":54,"url":55},"Gerbeaud — per-crop fiches: chou chinois, chou kale, chou-rave, rutabaga, patate douce, topinambour, gombo, haricot d'Espagne \u002F haricots grimpants, pourpier, radis noir, chicorée\u002Fscarole, tomatillo, ail, échalote, ciboulette, ciboule, cerfeuil, sarriette","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gerbeaud.com\u002Fjardin\u002Ffiches\u002F",true,"en","sowing-broad-beans-autumn-dates-by-climate-companions","\u003Ch2>Why sow broad beans in early October\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>This week of 5 October 2026, many vegetable gardens are emptying: the tomatoes are running out of steam and the squashes have been brought in. This is exactly when the broad bean (Vicia faba) takes centre stage. This legume from the Fabaceae family is hardy, meaning it can withstand frost. Sown in autumn in most regions, it settles in quietly before winter, then starts growing again with the first fine days to give an early harvest, well ahead of spring sowings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sowing now has several advantages:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>you make use of beds that would otherwise stay bare all winter;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>you benefit from the natural moisture of autumn, which cuts down on watering;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>you harvest earlier in spring, at a time when the vegetable garden still has little to offer.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Broad beans can also be sown in a second window at the end of winter, but this article focuses on autumn sowing outdoors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Sowing dates by climate\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The windows below are averages for each broad climate zone, calculated from frost dates. They are a good guide, but they vary depending on your commune, your altitude and your garden's aspect. A garden at the bottom of a valley or on a windswept plateau does not follow the same calendar as its sheltered neighbour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Northern France and the Paris Basin\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Sowing outdoors: from 18 March to 31 March, and from 1 October to 30 November\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Harvest: from 1 May to 30 June\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Atlantic coast\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Sowing outdoors: from 8 March to 21 March, and from 5 October to 4 December\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Harvest: from 21 April to 20 June\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Eastern France\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Sowing outdoors: from 10 March to 23 March, and from 29 September to 28 November\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Harvest: from 23 April to 22 June\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Mediterranean\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Sowing outdoors: from 4 February to 17 February, and from 21 October to 20 December\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Harvest: from 20 March to 19 May\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Mountains (around 1,000 m)\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Sowing outdoors: from 12 April to 25 April, and from 30 August to 29 October\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Harvest: from 26 May to 25 July\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>In practical terms, for this week of 5 October: the autumn window is open in northern France and the Paris Basin as well as in eastern France, and it is just opening on the Atlantic coast. In the mountains, you are in the last part of the window, so don't leave it too long. In the Mediterranean climate, wait a little longer: the average period only begins at the end of the month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>How to sow broad beans outdoors\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Broad beans are not fussy plants, but a few simple steps make all the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Prepare the soil.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Choose a sunny, well-drained bed. Weed it, then loosen the soil with a broadfork or digging fork without turning it over deeply. Like all legumes, broad beans do not need soil that is very rich in nitrogen, so avoid adding fresh manure. A soil that is simply alive, having received well-rotted compost for a previous crop, suits them perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Respect the spacing.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Draw out drills leaving 40 to 50 cm between rows, then place the seeds every 10 to 20 cm along the row. This spacing lets the plants develop properly, makes hoeing easier and allows air to circulate, which limits disease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Cover and firm.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Close the drill, firm gently with the flat of your hand or the back of the rake to ensure good contact between seed and soil, then water if the soil is dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Be patient.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Allow on average 10 to 14 days for germination. In the meantime, keep an eye out for birds and rodents, which are fond of large seeds: a fleece or a simple net laid over the row can come in handy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Good companions for broad beans in the vegetable garden\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Companion planting is a fascinating subject, but it is important to be honest about what it is based on. For broad beans, all the companions we have on record come from \u003Cstrong>gardening tradition\u003C\u002Fstrong>: they are passed down through gardeners' experience, with no proof established by trials in our data. Nor are they presented as recommendations from agricultural advisory services. So treat them as ideas to try out, not as certainties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Traditionally recommended neighbours:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>broccoli;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>white cabbage (hearting cabbage);\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>carrot;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>cucumber;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>potato;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>radish (summer radish);\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>squash (pumpkin, red kuri squash, butternut).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Some of these neighbours do not share the same season as autumn-sown broad beans. In practice, the association often works over time: radishes can keep broad beans company in spring, while squashes or cucumbers will take over once the broad beans have been harvested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Traditionally discouraged neighbours:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>garlic;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>leek;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>onion.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Here again, this is a traditional rule, widely applied to legumes and the garlic and onion family. To be on the safe side, many gardeners prefer to keep these crops away from broad beans, but be aware that the level of evidence remains limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Care through to harvest\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Once they have come up, broad beans need little attention over winter:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Earth up lightly\u003C\u002Fstrong> around the base of the young plants before the hard frosts to protect and steady them.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Mulch\u003C\u002Fstrong> between the rows with fallen leaves or straw: the soil stays more alive and weeds are kept in check.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Water sparingly\u003C\u002Fstrong>: in autumn and winter, rain is usually enough. In spring, keep an eye on soil moisture when the plants are in flower.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pinch out the growing tips\u003C\u002Fstrong> in spring, once the first pods have formed: this is a common practice to deter blackfly, which are fond of tender young shoots.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>When harvesting, pick the pods when the beans are well formed but still tender. After harvesting, cut the stems off at ground level and leave the roots in the soil: they will break down where they are and benefit the next crop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Find the exact dates for your commune\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The windows given here are averages by climate. Your garden has its own reality, linked to your commune, your altitude and your frost dates. To find out exactly when to sow your broad beans this autumn, check the Semiterra calendar and enter your commune: you will get dates suited to your garden, along with the right neighbours to plan for your beds. Happy sowing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"de":61,"en":58,"es":62,"fr":63,"it":64},"puffbohnen-im-herbst-saeen-termine-nach-klima-und-nachbarn","sembrar-habas-en-otono-fechas-por-clima-y-asociaciones","semer-feves-automne-pleine-terre","seminare-fave-autunno-date-clima-consociazioni",[66],{"id":12,"name":67,"slug":68,"aliases":69,"category":71,"group":72,"months":73},"Broad bean (fava)","broad-bean",[70],"Fava bean","vegetable","legume",[74,74,75,74,76,76,74,74,74,75,75,74],null,"sow","harvest",1790765450145]