How to Grow Fava Beans as an Edible Cover Crop for Fall

Garden Betty

You might be familiar with fava beans as an edible crop, but this legume is more than just that:

It’s also a natural organic fertilizer (a green manure) that fixes nitrogen in the soil for other plants to use.

They’re cool-weather plants that should be sown directly in the garden in fall to enrich the soil for the following spring.

Step 1: Inoculate your seed.

To maximize the nitrogen-fixing capabilities of your fava bean crop, seeds should be inoculated before planting.

Step 2: Sow seeds about 6 inches apart and 1 inch deep.

inch deep. Space your plants in rows 12 to 18 inches apart to give them room to breathe; fava beans can grow quite bushy.

Step 3: Add mulch.

Once they reach 6 inches in height, add 2 to 3 inches of straw (or another organic mulch) around the plants, being careful not to pile the mulch against the stems (which could lead to rotting).

Step 4: Add support for your plants.

Fava beans are tall, thin, and top-heavy plants that require minimal staking as they mature so they don’t flop over under their own weight.

They’re well suited for those conical wire tomato cages that, ironically, don’t do a super job of supporting indeterminate tomato plants. But they’re fantastic for fava beans!

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Garden Betty

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How to Grow Austrian Winter Peas to Enrich Your Soil

How (Not) to Fertilize Your Plants This Summer