You might be familiar with fava beans as an edible crop, but this legume is more than just that: It's also a natural organic fertilizer (a green manure) that fixes nitrogen in the soil for other plants to use. By planting fava beans, you can improve soil fertility at the same time without needing to add other fertilizers.| Garden Betty
Cover cropping is the farmer's "secret" for fertilizing and aerating soil naturally, but the practice of growing beneficial crops closely together can easily be done in a home garden. If you want to give your soil a nutrient boost while harvesting a delicious vegetable all season long, try growing Austrian winter peas.| Garden Betty