I normally let the plants completely mature and die in place. I’ll have to try what you suggest sometime.

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I hope too if anyone else tries this they let all of us know how it goes.

The key is to not let them senesce. Cut the plants while the are still green. There may still be flowers and pods which won’t mature if its too hot. Wait until all the ones that look like they’ll mature have matured.

I feel bad cutting them with flowers and little pods, but I’m pretty sure they won’t mature.

When do your plants start to turn brown? Are there still little pods on the plant that aren’t mature, or do they all eventually mature before the plant senesces?

This year I planted 1 pound of seed and got a bit over 100 pounds of mature pods. I may get about 20 pounds in the fall if the favas grow back.

I operate a CSA, so no, I’m not eating all the beans!

I generally let my plants die and dry out in place, then gather the stalks for compost. I usually leave the roots in place undisturbed. I have never seen them regrow from the roots.

If I search the Internet I don’t see any other mention of regrowing them like you describe. The discussion on this post has been going on for more than 4 years now, and you’re the first to mention this. It doesn’t mean it’s not possible, but I don’t think it’s commonly done.

If anyone else has experiences with this, I’d love to hear the details…

Have you tried letting them grow back after cutting them down? It may take a few weeks for the buds to start growing again. They look dead at first, but if you keep them watered, they should resume growing.

As long as the roots don’t dry out, they should send out new shoots. I think they may be growing from the buds at the bottom of the stems, maybe not actual new stems forming.

I live in Moscow, Idaho. I was surprised that they grew back and gave me more beans in the fall, too. Hopefully it wasn’t a fluke…

This isn’t my experience, are you sure you’re growing fava beans? Sometimes runner beans will do this, if you have the right climate.

Fava beans are an annual, meaning they only grow once. Like most beans if they are allowed to produce seeds, this usually means the end of the plant’s life cycle, and it dies. My plants are always stone dead at the end of the season.

Since it’s not possible for me to know every variety and everyone’s climate who reads this post, if you really do have fava beans that will grow back from the roots, I’d like to know the name of the variety and where you live so I can look into it further.

I just cut this years favas down and am looking forward to another fall crop!

Thanks for maintaining your fava site!

It’s the wrong time of year to be trying to grow fava beans, as they are a cool weather plant. It may still do okay anyway, depending on your climate.

It will grow indoors in a pot, if that’s what you want. You can also transplant it outdoors, but be sure to move it outside slowly over the course of about a week like I describe a few posts up or the shock may kill it. If you want to move it outdoors, you should do it before it gets too big, because mature fava bean plants don’t like their roots disturbed.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

If anyone else has another experience I hope they will share it, but I doubt you’ll have much luck with a bean from a purchased fresh fava bean pod. The seeds probably won’t have matured enough on the plant.

There’s no reason you can’t grow it indoors. The only problem is fava bean plants are not too productive, so you’ll need a lot of space for just a meal or two.

If you try either of these things, let us know how it goes!

They are probably a little past prime for eating. It’s probably better to wait a while before planting them, because they don’t tolerate summer heat well. Starting in August or September might be a better time. If they are spouting, they should still be able to grow, but you might be better off buying some fresh seeds.

Hope this helps…

Just when I was starting to think we had already covered everything here!

If it’s spindly, it’s probably not getting enough light. Often fava beans don’t like their roots disturbed, especially when they are so big, so transplanting may kill it. I think it will be okay outside, they normally can’t tolerate summer heat but if you normally have cool summers it should be okay.

I would say move it outside, but leave it in it’s pot if possible. If you think the pot is way too small by now, then transplant it into the ground.

If you move it outside, do it gradually. The shock of suddenly moving a plant outside can kill it. Start with 15-30 minutes the first day, then gradually increase this over the course of about a week. If the plant looks stressed, return it to the house for a day.

I hope this helps!

It sounds like what you have is a little too old to eat green and fresh, but you can try if you want. Otherwise, I think it’s best to let them dry out and eat them cooked like dry beans.

Yes, you can generally eat and let dry for seeds any combination of pods on the same plant. If you want to save seeds for replanting, be sure to check and see if they are a hybrid variety (either buy an heirloom variety which you know won’t be F1, otherwise have a look on the package as F1s are often labelled as such). If they are a hybrid variety, what grows after replanting the seeds will be variable, not the same as the parent plants and probably not interesting.

A little mold is normal as the pods turn black. If the seeds look okay after harvesting, it’s usually a good idea to rinse them off with a weak bleach solution before setting out to dry. If the seeds themselves have black or moldy spots, they are bad.