Cover cropping is an old idea, that is gaining popularity as humanity begins to yearn for agricultural practices that do not poison the earth. Cover crops protect soil from erosion through the winter months by locking the soil down with their roots, they help add much organic material into the soil once you turn them in, and you can choose a cover crop that fixes nitrogen and helps fertilize your plants.
The soil in my garden is high in clay, so I felt that the added organic matter a cover crop will provide could be useful. I chose to use Fava Beans because they fix nitrogen in the soil and they are relatively small plants that are easy to turn under with just a shovel, something a small time gardener, without a mechanical tiller, needs to consider.
I bought the package at the West Coast Seeds head office in Delta, I bought enough to plant a small field. I also bought a legume seed inoculant, which is a manufactured form of the bacteria that fixes the nitrogen from the atmosphere for the fava beans. These bacteria will happen anyways where legumes are planted, but inoculating them ensures that there is an adequate supply so you can get the most nitrogen possible. It is a great learning experience any how.
Here are the Fava Beans
This is the inoculant in a jar with the beans and water
To coat the seed, just shake
They got planted in last season Quinoa bed, which will be the Mayan Garden next year, the corn should love the extra nitrogen
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