For seed production, a within row spacing of 8 – 10 inches with a 2 - 3 feet row spacing is appropriate (Hickman and Canevari, 2012). Today, growing fava beans can be found in Central America, North America and up into Canada, which is actually the largest producer of fava beans due to its cool temperatures. They are called by a number of different names depending on their type. Later that day …yes, the fava beans are in the ground as are my remaining lettuce starts and chard starts. Many farmers use Faba bean in their crop rotation, plowing the plants back into the field after the growth has peaked for mulch. How to Plant: Plant your bean seeds about 1 ½ inches deep in well-drained, healthy soil. The plants they come from vary in cold hardiness, size, and yield. For more information on Fava Beans as cover crops, visit the OSU website. Some cover crops, like oilseed radish and fava bean are deeply rooted. Fava bean plants (Vicia faba) are among the oldest known cultivated plants, dating back into prehistoric times.A traditional staple food, fava plants are indigenous to the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. For a green manure or cover crop, one fava bean grown per square foot is recommended. Despite their heroic hardiness, if conditions are likely to plunge too low for too long you are best waiting until spring to sow outside, although a somewhat earlier crop can be had by sowing into modules or 7cm (3in) pots of multipurpose compost under cover in late winter. Their taproot is excellent at breaking apart clay, hard soils and providing much needed airspace. Planting time for cover crop use is September to November for winter cover; April for spring cover. These can then be planted out in early spring. If your winter is mild, you can plant the seeds in the Fall for a Winter or Spring crop. Sowing Fava Beans. Cover … Cover crops planted in your garden will also serve as “living mulch” preventing erosion, nutrient … You can plant Fava bean seeds in the Spring after danger of frost has passed in any region. Vicia faba Last revised January 11, 2010 Faba (also spelled fava) bean seeds vary in shape, size, and color. Fava beans are also extremely high in protein making them good for animal forage. A typical seeding rate for fava bean is 80 – 120 pounds per acre (UCANR, 2019). Small-seeded types (Vicia faba var.minor) may be called tickbean or pigeon bean and are commonly used for animal feed.