Heat tolerant Fava beans?

I would like to grow fava beans here in Missouri but we have very short springs and very warm,hot, humid summers. So far I have not been able to grow favas that will actually produce anything edible. They grow fine at first then the heat arrives and they stop. I even planted in October one year and the same thing happened. Anyone grow favas somewhere with warm spring/summers?

We usually plant ours in October and they are ready in March or April before the heat really sets in.

Steve:

Welcome to the forum.

What if you planted your fava beans about the middle of August? Then, they could set seed when the temperatures cool down in the fall. Might try plantings plus or minus 2 or 3 weeks around that time-frame to see what works best for you.  I planted favas the first of August which are currently flowering and setting seeds. If you start with a genetically diverse population, you could select for genetics that thrive when planted mid-August.

Thanks for the welcome! Even though I know it is not mid-August, I decided to go ahead and plant some favas today. I planted 3 distinct varieties which I believe to be genetically diverse.  I figure it was worth a try and I didn't want to wait till next year. We'll see what happens.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Steve:

Welcome to the forum.

What if you planted your fava beans about the middle of August? Then, they could set seed when the temperatures cool down in the fall. Might try plantings plus or minus 2 or 3 weeks around that time-frame to see what works best for you.  I planted favas the first of August which are currently flowering and setting seeds. If you start with a genetically diverse population, you could select for genetics that thrive when planted mid-August.

I might follow Lofthouse's suggestion when attempting to grow fava beans this year. Dayton, OH has a similar climate to many parts of Missouri, so I often encounter the same problems with short springs that the original poster mentioned, especially when attempting to grow spinach. I'll try one planting in very early Spring and another planting at the very end of August.