Windsor

SKU: BN150
These wonderful large beans mature in 85 days when sown in the spring, or 6 months if fall sown. The plants grow 90-120cm (3-4') tall. The light green pods, which contain 4-7 large pale green seeds each, shell easily. Read More

Exposure Full Sun

Matures in 85 days or 6 months if fall sown

Season Cool Season

Seed type OP ?

Disease Resistance HR: BCMV ?

Average Seeds Per Gram 1-2 ?

Windsor has a rating of 4.5 stars based on 13 reviews.
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West Coast Seeds ships anywhere in North America. However, we are not able to ship garlic, potatoes, asparagus crowns, bulbs, onion sets, Mason bee cocoons, or nematodes outside of Canada.

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For every order online, we donate a pack of seeds to gardens and communities worldwide through our Seeds of Growth program, supporting sustainable growth and local food systems.

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Windsor

Product Details

These wonderful large beans mature in 85 days when sown in the spring, or 6 months if fall sown. The plants grow 90-120cm (3-4') tall. The light green pods, which contain 4-7 large pale green seeds each, shell easily. Windsor broad bean seeds are superb for family gardens and easy for small children to handle. Windsor is intended for growing as a food crop. The seeds it produces are large and succulent, unlike the small-seeded fava we offer as a cover crop. This large variety will fix nitrogen in your soil, so it’s perfect for planting in the fall, harvesting in the spring, and following with nitrogen loving crops like brassicas, lettuce, or spinach. Fresh or dried, broad beans must be cooked before eating in order to rid them of potentially toxic alkaloids. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw or cooked like spinach. Broad beans are one of the world’s most ancient and widespread food crops.

Quick Facts:

    • Broad beans
    • Light green pods with 6-7 seeds each
    • Shell easily
    • Matures in 85 days or 6 months if fall sown

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All About Windsor

Latin

Latin
Vicia faba
Family: Fabaceae

Difficulty

Difficulty
Easy

We Recommend

We Recommend: Broad Windsor (BN150). There’s a reason we carry just the one variety! Broad Windsor has been a customer favourite for decades. It’s very reliable and utterly cold hardy. Big tasty beans!

Season & Zone

Season & Zone
Season: Cool season
Exposure: Full sun
Zone: Hardy to Zone 3

Timing

Timing
Direct sow October/November in mild winter areas. Direct sow February to May in other areas. Tall, soft plants won’t withstand winter well. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-21°C (50-70°F).

Starting

Starting
Use a broad bean or combination inoculant to provide a source of nitrogen. Sow seed 5cm (2″) deep, 15cm (6″) apart in double rows 23cm (9″) apart. Germination takes 10-14 days, depending on conditions.

Growing

Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Enrich the soil with compost prior to planting. Keep overwintered plants weeded. Provide stakes or strings between rows to stop plants from falling over.

Harvest

Harvest
Pick when the pods appear plump and begin to droop from the weight of the seeds. Shell (like peas) and cook or use in soup. For dried beans, wait until the pods start to shrivel. Caution: some people are highly allergic to broad beans.

Seed Info

Seed Info
In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2-3 years. Per 100′ row: 450 seeds, per acre: 98M seeds.

Diseases & Pests

Diseases & Pests
When black aphids appear in May/June pinch off the growing tips on which the aphids feed. Spray the plants with blasts of water to dislodge remaining aphids.

Companion Planting

Companion Planting
Excellent for fixing nitrogen in the soil. Avoid planting broad beans near onions.

More on Companion Planting.

 

How to Grow Beans

Step 1

Timing

Direct sow before the first frost date in mild winter areas. Direct sow late winter to mid-spring in other areas (tall, soft plants won’t withstand winter well). Optimal soil temperature: 10-21°C (50-70°F). Enrich the soil with compost prior to planting.

Step 2

Starting

Use a broad bean or combination inoculant to provide a source of nitrogen. Sow seed 5cm (2″) deep, 15cm (6″) apart in double rows. Each set of double rows should be 1m (3’) apart. Germination takes 10-14 days, depending on conditions.

Step 3

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5.

Keep overwintered plants weeded. Provide stakes or strings between rows to stop plants from falling over.

Step 4

Germination

Days to maturity: From direct sowing.

In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2-3 years. Per 100′ row: 450 seeds, per acre: 98M seeds.

Step 5

Harvest

Pick when the pods appear plump and begin to droop from the weight of the seeds. Shell (like peas) and cook or use in soup. For dried beans, wait until the pods start to shrivel.

Tips

Diseases & Pests

If black aphids appear in May/June, pinch off the growing tips on which the aphids feed. Spray with blasts of water to dislodge the aphids.

Companion Planting

Excellent for fixing nitrogen in the soil. Avoid planting broad beans near onions.

Caution: some people are highly allergic to broad beans.

Customer Reviews & Questions