This fall/winter, I am on a mission to get my soil back up to snuff. Not only do I plan on working out a crop rotation schedule, but I am also going to experiment a bit with cover crops.
Yesterday, I planted 2 of my garden boxes with fava beans. This is the first time I’ve ever planted fava beans as a cover crop. Beans are supposed to put nitrogen back into the soil, so hopefully, by spring, I will have added to the overall health of my dirt.
Cover crops are a little bit different than your standard gardening, in that you have no intention of eating the fruit or veggie they produce. You grow it simply to improve the soil. I chose fava beans for their nitrogen-enhancing properties, but there are a ton of cover crops to choose from, depending on what your soil needs: rye grass, winter rye, winter wheat, oats, clover, buckwheat, other legumes, etc.
The things to keep in mind with cover crops are both the needs of your soil and your location. If you live in an area with harsh winters, you may only be able to grow winter wheat and rye as cover crops. To grow grass cover crops, start in September and lightly rake in the seed. Mist the dirt with a hose {very lightly} until the green starts to poke through. Then, you pretty much do nothing, but let the cover crop take over.
Cover crops offer more than just soil amending–if they are thick enough, they will compete with weeds that would otherwise take nutrients from your soil. They also help with disease management, by breaking the life cycle in the dirt.
Here’s to healthier dirt!
Mavis
**If you decide to grow fava beans as a cover crop, pop over to my How To Guide for detailed growing instructions.
Laura says
I sow rye over the back part of my property. I don’t grow plants there, I use raised beds for that. But, it helps fill in the mud holes the dogs make all summer, and slowly it’s becoming more “lawn” than weeds. I just broadcast it, and leave it alone! I used perennial rye last fall, before that I used annual. If it does nothing else, it will improve the soil as the cut grass (I mow it like lawn, which is why I use rye instead of buckwheat or legumes) decomposes.
Do you plant to dig it under, or pull it out? I read about digging under, but I was wondering if it has time to rot away before you want to plant there in the spring?
Katie says
Just had 8yds of mushroom compost delivered and adding it to the garden. Tilled it in along with the dried legumes we grew. Plus we use leaves for mulch, so that will all add up in the soil. Planting some fall crops tomorrow since we can grow year round here in SC. Reading Eliot Coleman’s book and hoping to rotate cover crops in the gardens next year. Good luck with the fava beans!
Carol says
I have been wondering what you do with the soil in your raised beds. I guess this post means you reuse year after year…how about your containers? This year was the first year I actually got plants (tomatoes, onions and marigolds) to grow. I think it was because I bought much larger containers. I’m wondering if I will need to start with fresh potting mix next year….what are you doing with your herbs’ containers? Good luck with the fava beans!
Laura says
A great book on the subject of container vegetable gardening is The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible, by Edward C. Smith. He takes the soil out of his containers (most are self-watering) for the winter (I don’t), but he also talks about the level of the soil in the pots would be what the plants used. So, replace that.
I dig in new potting soil or composts before using my pots again. In my very large pots I have raspberries, so they don’t get new soil, they get fertilizer.
For my raised beds, I add in a few bags of compost (some steer, manure, some recycled green waste from my trash company, some chicken manure, whatever I have on hand) each spring. Then I test the fertility.
Carla D'Anna says
I have found fava bean seed to be very expensive because they are so huge and still come in small packages. Have you found any good deals?
Denise says
I know that Territorial Seed sells them specifically as a cover crop. I bought some last year. Seems like it was around $20 for whatever size the smallest bag was, and it was more than I needed.
Denise says
In spring, you should till the whole plant in before it gets going too much. Steve Solomon’s book Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades gets pretty detailed about it.