Vicia faba

Vicia faba is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m at a fast rate.
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light , medium and heavy soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils. It can grow in semi-shade or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Prefers a fairly heavy loam but succeeds in a sunny position in most soils that are well-drained. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes dry conditions. Sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, more commonly as a green manure crop. There are 2 main types, 'daffa' beans are the more hardy and can be sown in the autumn, whilst 'tic' beans are best sown in spring. The autumn sown varieties are more susceptible to 'chocolate spot' fungus but are more likely to escape damage from aphis. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.