Companion Planting Ideas For Spring Fava Beans

Fava beans belong to the legume family and are known for fixing nitrogen into the soil, while also suppressing weeds, improving soil texture and drawing pollinators to the garden.

Easy care plants for warm-season gardens, they also make an excellent addition to a dome greenhouse. Here are some companion planting ideas that work with them.

Vegetables & Herbs

Many vegetables and herbs thrive when grown alongside fava beans, both to boost their growth and ward off pests. Companions add organic matter to the soil while simultaneously aerating it, providing essential nutrients to the beans without increasing fertilizer needs. Furthermore, their companionship makes vegetable gardens more appealing and fun places to work in while making eating healthier easier!

Fava beans, as legumes, help increase soil fertility. Their roots release nitrogen when exposed to sunlight and water, so fava beans do not require as much supplemental fertilizer in zones 7 and higher of USDA hardiness. They do best when grown on rich, lightly acidic to neutral soil conditions; otherwise mixing compost may help improve their chances.

Due to their deep roots, fava beans can be used to amend heavy clay or sandy soils by drawing up large quantities of organic matter that has accumulated and absorbing it into their system. Furthermore, these beans can enrich new beds or raised garden beds.

Fava beans grow on square stems covered with rounded leaves. Unlike most bean species, these non-vining legumes don’t twine and should be harvested when their pods feel full and shiny green to the touch – typically 80 to 100 days depending on variety and harvested regularly to prevent overgrowth.

Though they’re relatively straightforward to grow, fava beans require ample sunlight. Their delicate nature requires frost-tolerant or hardy vegetables or herbs as protection during winter. Napa cabbage is an ideal example as it thrives in cool weather while protecting its leaves.

Other vegetables that do well alongside fava beans include carrots, radishes, Swiss chard and beets. But it’s important to remember that fava beans are susceptible to blackfly diseases; to protect their leaves they should not be planted near cruciferous vegetables such as cabbages, broccoli or cauliflower; similarly beets and cucumbers may compete for space and be susceptible as well. Strongly-scented herbs or vegetables such as cilantro and rosemary help repel aphids from damaging crops whereas dill attracts ladybugs which serve as natural predators against these pests aphids!

Garden Layout

As legumes, fava beans provide soils with nitrogen-rich goodness and reduce or completely replace chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives, thus saving farmers both money and the environment by decreasing synthetic nitrogen leached into lakes and rivers. This not only saves farmers money but also benefits the environment by lessening synthetic nitrogen leaching into lakes and rivers.

Plant your fava bean seeds 8 to 10 inches apart in rows that are 2-3 feet long, depending on your climate and sowing instructions. Larger spacing might be beneficial in areas with more rainfall while tighter spaces should be favored in regions experiencing hot, dry weather. Before sowing, soak the seeds for 12-24 hours prior to sowing and ensure regular watering to maintain moist conditions until germination occurs.

Fava beans are annual plants that complete their life cycles in one growing season, typically early spring in temperate regions or mid January in milder climates. Fava beans should be planted before sowing heavy feeders such as tomatoes and squash as they will add nitrogen to the soil as they grow and provide slow release nutrients (UMass Amherst).

After your fava beans have produced flowers, cut them down at ground level and either chop or bury them to help improve soil health and organic matter content in your garden (Frontiers in Plant Science). This helps improve both.

Fava beans contain high concentrations of nitrogen as well as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Furthermore, their sulfur content improves soil structure and water permeability. Prior to sowing fava beans into your soil, testing should be carried out to assess its nutrient levels; should additional nutrition be required then compost or well-rotted manure can be mixed in for extra nourishment.

Fava beans provide rich, nitrogen-rich mulch while simultaneously suppressing weeds, adding color, and drawing pollinators into your garden. As ground covers for vegetables such as squash and cucumbers they help prevent soil erosion; when planted alongside cereal crops they protect against cereal cyst nematode (No-Till Farmer); when planted together fava beans increase broccoli yield (Scientia Horticulturae); they even make great companion plants when growing alongside strawberries!

Seasonal Planting Suggestions

Similar to peas and beans, fava beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are annual plants that complete their life cycles in one season. Easy to cultivate in both gardens and containers alike, fava beans make great nitrogen sources while being drought-tolerant: only needing about an inch of water each week for proper care. Fava beans thrive best under full to partial sun in cool environments or protected dome greenhouse environments during hotter summer days.

Soak seeds for 12-24 hours to enhance germination and keep soil evenly moist before planting 12″-2″ deep and 6-8 inches apart, spacing seedlings 12-24″. As seedlings emerge, thin them out periodically as they grow to ensure healthy development. Fava bean plants require good drainage with slightly acidic or neutral pH soil. They’re typically resistant to garden diseases but occasionally need light fertilization. Since too much nitrogen fertilization could hinder flower and pod production, slow-release fertilizers that don’t contain too much nitrogen are recommended.

Fava bean plants require no support to thrive; they’re self-supporting and can even be planted in rows. When interplanted with other crops in a garden, they add height and depth while improving crop rotation – corn stalks make an excellent trellis while their beans mature, while basil and chamomile may improve flavor when growing alongside these legumes.

Fava beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber, boasting low calories and fat intake while potentially helping to lower blood cholesterol. Like other beans, fava beans contain plenty of folate as well as essential minerals like iron, manganese and magnesium – providing their users with all they need for good health!

Fava beans should be harvested when young and tender for optimal flavor and texture. Older, more mature pods can then be cooked by boiling, steaming or freezing as a side dish dish or shelled and frozen for later use.

Nitrogen

At a time of year when hardy brassicas, dense root vegetables, and frost-sensitive lettuces dominate our plates, the delicate green pods of fava beans provide a welcome relief. Their rich, earthy flavors and easy preparation (shelling is an enjoyable family activity!) make these legumes special treats. Alongside other cool-season legumes such as peas, lima beans, and soybeans fava beans can serve as valuable cover crops; their roots absorb atmospheric nitrogen, funnel it to their roots where special bacteria transform it into forms other plants can absorb. Thus making fava beans a natural nitrogen fertilizer!

Fava beans provide more than their nutritional value to gardens; they’re also invaluable companion plants in terms of protecting other plants against insect pests like bean beetles that threaten other vegetables like spinach, kale and chard crops. Their deep roots – sometimes reaching 6 feet deep! – help prevent soil erosion especially during rainy winter climates.

Although fava beans can be harvested at any time of year, for optimal nutrition they should be cut back when they first bloom but before producing pods. When this happens, all their nitrogen will go towards producing beans rather than being released back into the soil – therefore making favas an ideal cover crop that should be cut before pod production begins.

To optimize fava bean planting, it should be situated near other nitrogen fixing plants like kohlrabi, radishes and fennel in fall/winter months and lettuce/spring radish/borage in spring. Alliums such as onions/garlic/leeks can hinder their roots’ rhizobia while basil/chervil/cilantro/marigolds/nasturtiums can help protect from many pests that hinder growth/harvest – lovage improves bean flavor while summer savory repels bean beetles!