Cover Crops—Protect and Nourish Your Soils

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Cover crops are very valuable for the work they do, including holding soil in place, adding organic matter to the soil, adding nitrogen to the soil (in some cases), and acting as a mulch.

If you're open-minded, you could also say that weeds are cover crops, since they do many of the same tasks as the legumes and non-legumes that we plant.

There are different reasons why we should consider growing our own cover crops, besides the obvious reason of providing a ground cover over winter. Here are three:

Plant them around food crops to conserve soil moisture, keep weeds down, and keep the soil and air temperatures a little cooler.

Plant them to be a permanent mulch in and around fruit trees, bushes and perennial vegetables.

Plant them in spring and fall to rejuvenate poor soil.

A List of Cover Crops

There are many different types available in the US, including:

Annual ryegrass is a food crop winter and early spring.

It grows fast, holds the soil well, and prevent nutrients from leaching out of the soil.

Buckwheat will grow even in poor soil and will grow rapidly in the summer.

Great to provide a build-up of organic matter, it decomposes fast also.

Hairy vetch is a winter legume. Is noted for rapid growth which will choke out weed seeds.

Best if sowed with rye, oats or buckwheat.

Red clover will provide maximum nitrogen enrichment if left in soil for 1 full year.

Grows rapidly in spring, summer or early fall even in poor soils.

White clover also known as Dutch clover will grow even in the shade and makes an excellent living mulch.

Winter rye is the most used and is the hardiest.

Plant 1 month before the first frost.

Work it into the soil before the plants set seeds.

If crop stays year round be sure to mow on high setting and that will keep the weeds from taking over.