Favas: great cover crop!

[pjkobulnicky]

I read about using fava beans as a cover crop in one of the seed catalogs (Territorial???) but I was loath to do it because the seeds are so relatively expensive. Well ... last year I found myself in a middle-eastern market one day and they had dried favas for about $2.00 for a pound package (a lot of seeds) . Since they were of Egyptian origin, I think, I assumed that they were still viable as seed ... and they were. So, early this spring I planted the seeds (they like to germinate in cold soil) in the beds I would be using for tomatoes, peppers and other heat loving plants. I planted them on about 6" centers. Yesterday, maybe 6 weeks from planting the seed, I turned the beds over and I was amazed. The fava plants are sort of brittle so they chop up easily with a shovel. They had gotten about a foot tall. The amazing thing was the root balls. They were giant masses of fibrous roots that were full of nitrogen nodules and also full of earthworms. They too broke up easily. Since I will be setting out bedding plants, I could leave the fava plants and root balls only coarsely chopped up where the worms will work on them for a while.

I'm hooked. Any empty bed will now have favas started until the bed is needed for something else.

Paul

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Cover crops are a great way to help soil get the nutrients it needs.

A great source for cover crops is Bountiful Gardens they have a great selection and are very helpful.

We plant our fava with vetch and it does very well as well.

Congrats on success!

 

[bodnsoul]

I got my fava beans from peaceful valley farm supply for 2.80 a lb. I plant it both by itself and added to a soil builder mix I buy from the same source. The soil builder mix is bell beans, vetches, biomaster peas and has a tall oat for the other things to trellis on.

 

[Tutter]

I like to use various cover crops, and one are favas. Like OaklandCityFarmer, we put vetch with it.

Also, like Oakland, I highly recommend Bountiful Gardens overall.

 

[sht4luck]

Love favas... glad to see bountiful garden come up to. Bio-intensive gardening uses fava,vecth,wheat and rye as good combo.

 

[Tutter]

Sht4luck, may I ask your climate?

 

[aquarose]

I think I will plant favas in the raised bed I am building this summer. I don't plan to plant any food crops there until next year.

 

[sht4luck]

i'm in sunny Bend Oregon. zone 5-6 in the high desert.