Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Kimberly Andrews <klandrews@msn.com>]

If you are growing a legume for nitrogen fixation into the soil, then you may not want to let it go to seed.  The plant places a great amount of nitrogen from its roots into the seed.  At the first sign of flowering, I break the stems just above the ground surface to keep the nitrogen in the roots and to start using the upper portion as a mulch.  If the stems are not easily breakable (Austrain peas), then I cut them at the ground level. 
 
If you are not using the no-till approach, fava beans are great at firing-up a compost pile.
 
I know nothing about chicken feed.
 
 
> Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:36:50 -0500
> From: pbunch@cox.net
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [Livingontheland] Fava Beans as Chicken Feed
>
> Does anyone have input on using fava beans as chicken feed? They are a good crop for us and as we will be using them for soil improvement this would be a good way of getting multiple use out of the crop.
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