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I read that fava beans' flowers become sterile if temperatures are sustained >80dF. I have fava beans given to me from a sub-tropical climate and wonder if I can grow them in temperature climate (hardiness zone 4/5). Reading about the plant it seems that I can and most people start growing them in the fall so they fruit in spring when temperatures aren't too hot. I wonder can the beans be planted now (late Spring / early Summer), and because they are perennial they will eventually fruit when temperatures are right?

I'm not sure how "perennial" they really are, despite numerous sources saying that, so it could be that if they grow to flowering maturity and the temperatures are too hot for fruiting the beans will simply die off and need to be started from scratch. That's what I'm wondering about.

cr0
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In temperate UK, fava beans (or "broad beans" as we call them) are planted either in fall or spring. Both will crop in the summer after planting. The reasons we plant the previous year are mainly to get an earlier crop, but also for sturdier plants with better resistance to aphids etc. I planted mine in autumn/winter and am eating them now, but in the past I've sown in march.

I don't consider them to be perennial for horticultural purposes. Although they may regrow a few stems the following year (or indeed later in the same year), the results aren't really viable.

The plants begin to flower when they are quite small and will continue to flower as they grow, with flowers/beans forming progressively all the way up the plant from bottom to top. As such I don't think it's the case that they will grow into mature plants, then wait for optimal conditions and then flower.

David Liam Clayton
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