{"product_id":"sweet-lorane-fava-bean-organic-seeds","title":"Sweet Lorane Fava Bean (Vicia faba) Organic Seeds – Small-Seeded Cover Crop, Cold-Hardy to 10°F, Excellent Nitrogen Fixer, Sweet Flavor","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMinimum:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e20+ Seeds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSweet Lorane Fava Bean — The Cover Crop You Can Eat\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eMost cover crops exist to be tilled under, never eaten. Sweet Lorane breaks that rule. This small-seeded fava was selected in Oregon's Willamette Valley for winter cover cropping, yet produces genuinely sweet, tender beans worth harvesting if you let it. It shrugs off cold to 10°F, fixes nitrogen all winter, and still gives a spring crop most cover crops never offer. Pacific Northwest organic growers have relied on it for decades as soil builder and food source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho Grows Sweet Lorane Fava Bean?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe no-till gardener wanting a winter cover crop that also feeds the table.\u003cbr\u003eThe organic farmer building soil nitrogen ahead of spring rotation.\u003cbr\u003eThe cold-climate gardener needing a legume that survives winter lows.\u003cbr\u003eThe small-space grower who wants one planting to do double duty.\u003cbr\u003eThe bean lover after a sweet fava, not a starchy one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat This Cold-Hardy Cover Crop Actually Is\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eVicia faba\u003c\/em\u003e, also called broad bean or field bean, is a cool-season legume native to the Mediterranean and Near East, cultivated for thousands of years as food and soil-building crop. Sweet Lorane is a small-seeded strain developed in Oregon for fall planting and overwintering, more cold-hardy than large-seeded favas, reliably surviving down to 10°F once established. Plants grow upright to 3 or 4 feet, with gray-green leaves and clusters of white flowers marked with black, favored by early bees. Its roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen to soil-available form, a standard green manure ahead of heavy feeders like corn or brassicas. The small beans are sweeter and less starchy than large-seeded favas, good fresh, dried, or roasted. Grown as a cool-season annual in USDA zones 3 through 10.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the Garden \u0026amp; Kitchen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWinter cover crop:\u003c\/strong\u003e Broadcast or drill seed in fall for a nitrogen-fixing mulch that suppresses weeds all winter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGreen manure:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cut and turn plants under in early spring before flowering fully sets, releasing nitrogen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFresh shelled beans:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harvest young pods and shell for a sweet, tender bean, cooked simply with oil and salt.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDried storage beans:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let pods mature and dry on the plant for a stored bean like a small fava.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdible flowers and shoots:\u003c\/strong\u003e Use young shoot tips and flowers in salads for a mild, pea-like flavor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePollinator support:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let a section flower fully in late winter when few other blooms exist.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowing Sweet Lorane Fava Bean Seeds\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStart method:\u003c\/strong\u003e Direct sow outdoors; favas dislike transplanting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTiming:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sow in fall, 6-8 weeks before first hard frost, for overwintering use.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGermination:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sprouts in 7-14 days in cool soil.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil temperature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Germinates in a wide range, even down to 40°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sow 4-6 inches apart in rows 12-18 inches apart, or broadcast for density.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSunlight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun for best growth and bloom.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil:\u003c\/strong\u003e Adaptable to most soils; avoid waterlogged ground.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatering:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate through establishment; drought-tolerant once rooted.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCold tolerance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Established plants survive to 10°F; seedlings more vulnerable.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest for cover crop:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cut and turn under in early spring, before pods form, for maximum nitrogen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest for eating:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pick pods young for fresh shelling, or let mature and dry for storage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupport:\u003c\/strong\u003e Taller stands benefit from stakes or netting in windy sites.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore You Close This Page\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a cover crop that earns its keep twice. Sweet Lorane fixes nitrogen all winter, suppresses weeds, and survives cold that kills most legumes. Then it gives sweet, tender beans if you choose to harvest instead of till. Bred in Oregon for this dual purpose, it is hardy to 10°F and thrives in cool, wet winters. Sow in fall, let it work through winter, then turn it under or eat the harvest. Zones 3 through 10 as a cool-season annual. Grow the fava that feeds soil and table in one season.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"terramatergardens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54227796853054,"sku":"11570","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/8836\/7166\/files\/candles-5762.png?v=1788347323","url":"https:\/\/www.terramatergardens.com\/products\/sweet-lorane-fava-bean-organic-seeds","provider":"Terra Mater Gardens","version":"1.0","type":"link"}