Cover cropping is a good way to help build soul quality and protect the beds from the abundant rainfall over the winter months. Here at the North Mississippi and Failing Garden, you can see fava bean cover crop poking its way though the soil.
We planted favas very dense, which will fix nitrogen for the soil, send its roots down to break up the soil, and contribute to the soil food web. As you can see, cover crops can be planted around cold-weather crops. We planted the cover crop as soon as bedspace was available in late october - early november. In the spring, turn under fava beans once they start flowering. This is when the plants have the most amount of nitrogen in them. If you turn the plant into the soil when it's flowering, it will have the biggest benefit to the soil.
I like to plant fava beans as a cover crop in gardens where soil quality is relatively good. There is no need for tougher cover crops, like some grasses, which specialize in breaking apart clay-rich soils. Favas are much more delicate and do not intrude in the garden as much. Some can also be saved for a fava harvest!
