Favas above and Favas Below

There are a number of reasons why fava beans are of my very favorite crops to grow. First is that the seeds are very easy to handle. With seeds so large, they are very easy to sow and work with. The second reason is that the plants germinate relatively quickly. Within a week or two I can see the results of my planting. Third, they are relatively hardy. In northern California, they can grow primarily off of winter rains and tend to deal with pest pressure more than other cover crops. And my very favorite thing about fava beans as a cover crop is how much they improve the soil. Whether I only have a month or five months, the residue of fava beans works as fertilizer, as mulch and as compost. The fact that the beans can be consumed is just a bonus.

 

 

Here are some pictures of my “Robin Hood” Fava beans that I took in four gardens in the winter of 2022 to 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

The first pictures are of a garden that I started in a one yard grape bin at a friend’s house. This macro grape bin replaced a macro cubic yard bag full of high-quality compost. The majority of the growing medium in the bag was from compost.

 

 

 

This second group of pictures is from an above-ground garden that I established in 2020 using cinderblocks made for holding wood boards for a planter bed. They are both above-ground beds that I established in the front yard of a friend’s home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third group of pictures is my own little backyard plot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, the last group of fava beans was grown at the friend’s garden that I call the “Fertile Garden” because it is just that. I would really have difficulty growing what I do without access to this garden plot. The final crop of Robin Hood Fava beans that I grew was harvested in late May and was the source of much of my future seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether grown in the ground or in an above-ground planter, fava beans are a fantastic crop to grow in cool weather. If you have never grown them before, I would highly recommend it!

Winter Wine Barrel

While not as safe from critters as planting in the greenhouse, planting in a wine barrel worked out pretty well for me this winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I learned three things while using the wine barrel for my winter garden. The first was a bit of a surprise. Despite my previous experiences, I discovered that I actually like radishes. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a fan of spicy radishes; but rather, at least to me, chopped up and stir-fried radishes are really good. Unlike in the heat of the greenhouse, the lettuce that grew in the wine barrel was very thick and dark. But also unlike the greenhouse, the squirrels bit through the barrel lettuce - so I didn’t get to enjoy much of that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last thing I learned from my winter garden was that I can actually grow carrots here in the Bay Area. Howbeit I am starting off with hybrid carrots, hopefully sometime in the future I can ease into a vigorous open-pollinated variety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I'm grateful for the opportunity to garden in a wine barrel this last winter. Despite the occasional attacks from the squirrels, we managed to realize a bountiful harvest.

Winter in the Greenhouse.

After many years of fighting squirrels and slugs in the winter, I decided to try something a little different in the winter of 2022-2023. Specifically, I decided to try growing away from the main garden. My theory was that if I put the plants far from the squirrels, they would tend to bother them less. While this is generally true, it is especially true in the greenhouse, where the squirrels can’t get to my plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My greenhouse plants grew faster than those grown out of the greenhouse, but this came at a cost. Winter vegetables often perform better in cool weather. The lettuce was not as good, as dark or as thick and the carrots were not as sweet as when kissed by a frost. On the other hand, radishes are not as fussy. Unlike the other two vegetables in the greenhouse, the radishes I planted in the greenhouse performed just as well – if not better – than if planted outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The primary disadvantage of growing in the greenhouse was having to water more often. Because the greenhouse does not let water in, I needed to water the plants a lot more than I had to water my outdoor plants – which tended to remain well watered due to the rain and cool weather outside.