Fava Beans are a good cool season bean that can be grown alternately to lima beans.  Fava Beans are also known as broad beans.  Early spring or late fall is a good time to plant this crop directly into well amended soil.  Add plenty of compost and rich fertilizer such as Fish Meal or Bio Fish for these hungry feeders to the soil and plant seeds 1" deep.  These large seeds germinate quickly if the temperature is not to low. In hot weather, soil should never be allowed to dry out or Fava Beans can quickly wither and possibly not recover well, or drop their blossoms.  The worst pest for fava bean are black aphids; but they can be warded off by spraying early on with an insecticidal soap or pinching out the growing tips at the top of the stems.  When pinching, this will also encourage the pods to form.  Staking may be necessary to keep the beans from toppling over.  Simple sticks pushed in the ground throughout the crop will generally suffice.  Fava Beans can be eaten at an immature green stage or left on the plant to dry for use in soups.  Fava Beans are legumes, so they are good for the soil.  Till in the left over plants to add nitrogen to your soil. Try these varieties: Broad Windsor Fava Bean and Extra Precoce A Gano Violetto Fava Bean.