Small-seeded fava beans,(Vicia faba) AKA , Bell Bean, Fava bean or horse bean Fava

 Small-seeded fava beans

A cover crop is an area of planting that is sown for the purpose of improving the soil and keeping the ground “covered” to prevent erosion.

The right plant can:

• Increase the  organic matter content of the soil
• Increase the availability of nutrients
• Improve the soil’s tilth, which is the texture of the soil
• Reduce weeds by choking out undesirable plants
• Reduce soil pests
• Enhance the soil’s biological activity.
• 1 lb 1400 Seeds
• Fava Beans are one of my favorite cover crops.
• You can sow them late in the Fall even in cold weather.

This is the small seeded variety of Vicia faba used for cover crops.  Bell beans are an annual used mainly as a plow down to build organic matter and add nitrogen to the soil.  Bell beans have strong stems to support their upright growth (3-7 feet tall), which also act to support other legumes when they are mixed together.  Bell beans have a thick tap root which can help to loosen heavy soils.

Fava beans germinate quickly and grow even faster.  You can use the tops for compost, eat the beans, and when you’re done with the plants you can leave the roots in the ground.  Fava beans  will have put more nitrogen into the soil than it takes out.  I mean, this is a plant that keeps on giving.

It’s not a good idea to  leave any areas of your garden bare in the winter. Rain will compact the soil. The ground is subject to erosion and leaching of nutrients when nothing is growing. I sowed my Fava Beans in November and 3 weeks later they were over 8 inches tall. The moral here is better late than never.

In the Spring, when you’re ready to plant your veggies, you can cut down the fava beans even if you don’t harvest the bean for eating.  It will make an excellent addition to your compost pile and leave the soil in better condition.

Once we’ve got our garden planted, we can sit back and welcome winter back again.