I have never planted a winter cover crop and I’ve never really understood why you would waste your time planting one. But I decided to do some research this fall and now I’m planting winter rye this fall.
As it turns out, planting a cover crop can be very beneficial for you soil and it can even help choke out cool season weeds that you would have to contend with in the spring!
Depending on what cover crop you plant, you can help replace Nitrogen that has been taken out of the soil by the vegetables you grew, you can alleviate soil compaction, guard against soil erosion and ward off weeds…all while you put a nice blanket to cover your soil in the winter.
Here are five cover crops you might use for you small to mediums sized garden:
1. Annual Rye Grass
Grasses are quick to germinate and generally more effective at controlling weeds than legume cover crops, which are some of the reasons that annual rye grass is such a popular cover crop. Depending on your preferences and your garden’s specific needs, you can seed annual rye grass among your vegetables or wait until you’ve harvested your veggies and plant rye grass as a winter cover crop. In the spring, trap the nutrients by cutting and turning under the rye grass to incorporate it into the soil.
Unfortunately, grasses don’t increase the nitrogen in the soil, which is why you’ll also want to consider pairing it with a cover crop from the legume family.
2. Hairy Vetch
A popular legume cover crop, hairy vetch is commonly used in vegetable gardens and is valued for its nitrogen-fixing ability. Additionally, hairy vetch is impressively versatile and resilient; it’s a good choice in cold climates and drought conditions, and it performs well in a range of soil types and pH levels. Plant hairy vetch in late summer or early fall, and till it under in spring. Alternately, you can mow it down and plant your vegetables directly in the resultant mulch a few weeks later.
3. Buckwheat
If controlling weeds in your vegetable garden is your goal, then consider to checking out this effective “smother crop.” Buckwheat is a non-legume cover crop that’s sensitive to cold, making it perfectly suitable for summer planting. Plant buckwheat any time between late May and late August, and incorporate it into the soil about 40 days after planting. It’s a convenient choice for simultaneously invigorating your soil and minimizing weeds.
4. Red Clover
If you like the concept of one-stop shopping, then red clover as a cover crop will undoubtedly delight you. This legume provides ample quantities of nitrogen and valuable quantities of biomass that benefit your garden soil. Seed red clover among your rows of growing vegetables anytime from spring to early autumn.
5. Winter Rye
As its name implies, winter rye is a winter cover crop suitable for overwintering in many locations thanks to its incredibly hardy and resilient nature. Sow winter rye in late summer or early autumn after your vegetables have been harvested, and then watch out! It grows quickly and vigorously, and will resume growth in spring, at which time you can plow it under and put the winter rye biomass to work in your soil.
One of my biggest goals is to help fix the soil. We as a society have depleted the soil to a point that most people think the only way to fix it is to add more and more chemicals. That is not true, but that’s what Monsanto would have you believe. We have ( and I say we because I’m just as guilty as anyone else before I figured out what the chemicals were really doing) done enough damage and it’s time to stop, step back, and really look at what has happened to our soil.
Poor soil grows poor crops and feeds animals with substandard grains and grasses. Animals that are raised on substandard feed, produce lower quality meats, eggs and milk.
You are what you eat…eats”
I think by now we should’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t chemical our way out of the hole we’ve dug!
Let me know your thoughts on cover crops and the state of our soil.
