Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerial
Does locally-adapted mean your fava strains tolerate heat and drought better? Others have mentioned in the earlier posts that fava beans prefer evenly moist soil.
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Basically, yes.
I don't have drought in my garden, because I irrigate the clayish soil once a week. But I do have very low humidity.
The first year I planted fava beans, they flowered like crazy all summer, but didn't make any seeds. The next year I planted a larger, more genetically diverse patch, and about 20% of the plants produced a few seeds. The third year, about 60% of the plants produced seeds for me. Last year, around 90% of the plants produced seeds. So I think that I have finally selected for a locally-adapted strain that doesn't mind the summer heat so much. I think that it also helps that I have transplants ready to go into the ground the day after the winter snow-cover melts. I have also been selecting for volunteers that germinate under the snow.