These wonderful large beans mature in 85 days when sown in the spring, or 6 months if fall sown. The plants grow 90-120cm (3-4′) tall. The light green pods, which contain 4-7 large pale green seeds each, shell easily. Windsor broad bean seeds are superb for family gardens and easy for small children to handle. Windsor is intended for growing as a food crop. The seeds it produces are large and succulent, unlike the small-seeded fava we offer as a cover crop. This large variety will fix nitrogen in your soil, so its perfect for planting in the fall, harvesting in the spring, and following with nitrogen loving crops like brassicas, lettuce, or spinach. Fresh or dried, broad beans must be cooked before eating in order to rid them of potentially toxic alkaloids. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw or cooked like spinach. Broad beans are one of the worlds most ancient and widespread food crops.