Variety Info.:
Botanical Name: Vicia faba
Days to Maturity: 30–60 days
Family: Fabaceae
Native: Unknown
Hardiness: Frost-tolerant annual
Plant Dimensions: 30″ tall, bushy shape; taller when grown in mild climates.
Variety Information: ‘Sweet Lorane Improved’ is a small-seeded fava and a cold-tolerant cover crop for very early spring or fall sowing; excellent nitrogen fixer. White flowers with black centers provide much sought-after spring nectar for beneficial insects. Fava bean roots work to break up the soil. Because fava beans can germinate in temperatures as low as 35°F, they have the potential to be grown and incorporated before spring planting.
Exposure: Full sun
Sowing Info.:
When to Sow Outside: 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date for spring crop. For a fall crop, sow 4 to 6 weeks before your average first fall frost date. In mild climates, may overwinter; cold hardy as low as 20°F.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended.
Days to Emerge: 8–15 days
Seed Depth: 3″
Seed Spacing: 2–4 seeds per square foot
Thinning: Not required