Above, Sabra Steinberg's and Jeff Dunk's bed has from right to left a lovely artichoke, garlic and fava beans. According to Jeff, both the fava beans and the garlic thrive in our Humboldt County winters; both plantings act as a delicious food source with the added benefit of protecting the bed throughout the winter as a cover crop.
Fava bean is a nitrogen fixing plant that takes nitrogen from the air and transfers it to the soil, increasing the nutrient value of the soil. Cover crops have the additional benefit of protecting planting areas from soil erosion while the area would otherwise lie fallow. More on cover crops and crop rotation. Below, another community gardener has planted fava beans.
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| Fava Bean Crop Cover Planting |
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