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Aquadulce Fava Bean is a celebrated heirloom variety that traces its lineage back nearly 8,000 years to the Mediterranean region, making it one of humanity's oldest cultivated plants. This upright annual grows 24-36 inches tall and produces abundantly within 80-89 days, delivering creamy, nutty beans that have sustained civilizations across continents. Whether you're growing in a garden bed, raised bed, or container, Aquadulce thrives in full sun and rewards you with generous harvests of shell beans prized for their rich flavor and tender texture.
Full Sun
Moderate
6-9
36in H x ?in W
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High
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This ancient variety earned its place in gardens across centuries for a reason: the combination of a creamy interior and distinctly nutty flavor that deepens as the beans mature. Aquadulce grows as a compact, upright bush rather than a sprawling vine, making it manageable in smaller spaces while still delivering substantial yields. The beans develop their signature sweet character in 80-89 days, and this cultivar's resilience to bacterial blight and powdery mildew means you'll spend less time troubleshooting disease and more time harvesting.
Aquadulce beans are shelled from their pods and eaten fresh when young and tender, showcasing their creamy texture and nutty flavor most vividly at this stage. The dried mature beans are equally valuable, storing well for months and lending themselves to soups, stews, and purées that warm the table through winter. Fresh young beans can be blanched and eaten like edamame, or slow-cooked until they become silken, absorbing the flavors of garlic, olive oil, and herbs that accompany them.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds directly into the garden in cool-season weather, spacing them 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart. The beans prefer to establish roots in place rather than being transplanted.
Begin harvesting when pods feel full and firm to the touch, typically 80-89 days after sowing. For tender, sweet beans, pick pods while they still bend slightly; the beans inside will be small and delicate. If you prefer larger, meatier beans, allow pods to mature further until they're stiff and the beans rattle inside. For fresh eating, shell and blanch immediately after harvest to preserve the creamy texture. For storage, allow pods to dry completely on the plant before shelling and storing the dried beans in a cool, dry place.
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“Fava beans rank among humanity's oldest crops, with archaeological evidence placing their cultivation in the Mediterranean around 6,000 BCE. Aquadulce represents centuries of selection by gardeners and farmers who recognized this variety's superior flavor, creamy texture, and dependable performance. As an open-pollinated heirloom, Aquadulce has been preserved and passed through generations of seed savers, allowing home gardeners today to grow the same genetic line that sustained Mediterranean communities for millennia.”