When to plant fava bean in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, typical last spring frost is April 3 and typical first fall frost is November 12. Typical last spring frost: April 3. Fava bean in Philadelphia is doable with planning outdoors. 82 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (80 days) but not slow ones (110 days).

Fava bean

How to grow Fava bean Philadelphia climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Tight fit

Not realistic in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Fava bean in Philadelphia is doable with planning outdoors. 82 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (80 days) but not slow ones (110 days).

When to plantMarch 6 – June 14

Harvest: May 25 – October 23
Season vs crop: 82 grow days vs 80–110 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 3 – November 12

Fava bean in Philadelphia is doable with planning outdoors. 82 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (80 days) but not slow ones (110 days).

Planting conditions

Direct sow
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row82

Days to harvest80–110 days from seed

Mar 6 – Jun 14

Direct sow

May 25 – Oct 23

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Direct sow	Mar 6 – Jun 14	Plant outdoors in this window.
Harvest	May 25 – Oct 23	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Direct sow
Harvest

Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost (35 seasons (1991–2025)). Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (15 – 21 °C59 – 70 °F15 – 21 °C (59 – 70 °F)) and tolerable (4 – 24 °C39 – 75 °F4 – 24 °C (39 – 75 °F)) ranges.

Ideal / plantable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot
Outside window

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules; growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostApril 3

Low-risk last spring frostApril 13

Typical first fall frostNovember 12

Low-risk first fall frostNovember 5

Frost-free days222

Outdoor sow dateMarch 6

Direct sow windowMarch 6 – June 14

Suitable growing windowMarch 6 – May 26 (82 days)

Expected harvestMay 25 – October 23

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 15 – 21 °C59 – 70 °F15 – 21 °C (59 – 70 °F).
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 4 – 24 °C39 – 75 °F4 – 24 °C (39 – 75 °F).
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Philadelphia, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 80–110 days from seed, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. Air ratings on the weekly chart colour only weeks inside that same window — see weekly temperatures and windows.

Other plants for Philadelphia

Calculated by Plan & Plant. Method. Data 35 seasons (1991–2025).

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics.

Based on 35 years (1991–2025) of ERA5-Land data from Open-Meteo, for an area of about 10 km. Typical dates, not a guarantee.

Dates for Philadelphia use ERA5-Land cell 39.95, -75.16. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

Report a problem