Extraordionery tall fava beans

[Richard Watson]

Had a message from a customer who had bought 'El Beano' from us a couple of year ago to say they have had plants grow as tall as 3 meters and given huge yields. She grows organic and is passionate about permaculture growing, so there's been no high flouting modern fertilizer used to have caused this amazing growth. Anyone experienced anything like this

https image hosting

[Ocimum]

wow that's a giant! I have never seen anything like this. Did she save seeds of the giant ones?

there seems to be little wind in this area, am I wrong?

[Richard Watson]

wow that's a giant! I have never seen anything like this. Did she save seeds of the giant ones?

I sent the photo to Neville who's the grower of that variety, it amazed him as he gets nothing over a 1.5m tall

there seems to be little wind in this area, am I wrong?

No where in NZ escapes the winds that this country is prone to, they have to have been tied to bamboo

[Steph S]

That is really impressive!   Would certainly make it worth growing them.   Let us know what becomes of it.

[Richard Watson]

I will ask her if they do the same again this summer

[William S.]

This spring I burned an old brush pile. I planted fava beans there. Nothing like these giants, but four times as tall as usual. Though lots of weeds and rodents stole most of the seeds! So a little wood ash maybe!

[Richard Watson]

I'll ask her about wood ash, must be some reason why they grew like that.

[Nicollas]

Jack and the Favabean stalk

Really impressive, i hope there is genetic behind that

[Jeremy Weiss]

Actually, if you think about it, Jack's beanstalk would HAVE to be a fava bean. The story pre-dates the introduction of the common bean into Europe from  the Americas.