When to Plant a Cover Crop for the Garden?

Winter rye is a common cover crop.

The Dust Bowl taught farmers the importance of planting cover crops. The loss of topsoil due to wind and rain can destroy a garden. Cover crops help prevent this loss by holding the soil in place.

Types

Soybean growing in a field replaces nitrogen other crops use.

Cover crops not only hold the soil in place but also improve the soil. Legumes, such as soybean or clover, are common choices. The same roots that hold the soil in place contain nodules of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that deposit nitrogen in the soil.

When

Cover crops grow until a hard freeze.

Generally, plant cover crops in the fall. As soon as the garden stops producing, till the ground and plant the seed. The cover crop grows until a hard freeze. The vegetation and roots act as an anchor keeping the soil in place even after they stop growing.

Considerations

Do not let your cover crop become someone else's weed.

Till cover crops into the ground in the spring before planting the next crop. This provides additional nutrients to the crop, as the cover crop decomposes. Some cover crops, such as hairy vetch, are invasive and should only be planted if you can keep them from spreading to your lawn or other adjacent plots.

References

• Texas A&M University: Cover Crops Can Accomplish Many Important Tasks for Growers
• North Carolina State University: Cover Crops and Living Mulches
• University of Rhode Island: Cover Crops

Resources

• "Cover Crops and Green Manure Crops: Benefits, Selection, and Use"; Dan Kluchinski; 1996