Cover Cropping

Cover crops are plants that are grown in between growing the main crops. This is often at the end of the growing season to enhance the soil for next years crops. They offer many benefits such as preventing erosion, suppressing weeds, adding nutrients back into the soil, and improving water retention.

To successfully use cover crops you should allow them to grow until they are about to set flower. You don’t want them to go to seed so it is important to work them into your soil before this stage. Cut the plants down close to the surface of the soil and turn the soil over to mix the plants throughout the soil. You also have the option of adding the cut plants to your compost pile for the added nutrient boost and just turn the roots over in the soil. Roots hold a lot of nutrients and this will still add organic matter into your soil.

Benefits of Cover Crops

Cover cropping has numerous benefits for your garden if done correctly.

Weed Suppression: When your main crops are finished for the season you are leaving the soil empty and creating a great environment for many weeds to pop up. By adding cover crops you are taking away the opportunity for weeds to grow. This reduces the need of constant weeding or herbicides.

Nutrient Cycling: The exchange of nutrients from the soil into living organisms and then back into the soil after they decompose. Cover crops will trap the nutrients that might otherwise leach away and they make these nutrients available for your future crops.

Soil Health Improvement: Cover crops are able to enhance the structure of the soil by reducing nutrient leaching and compaction. Cover crops add organic matter back into the soil.

Reduce Erosion: Having cover crops in place when your main crops are finished ensures the soil will not erode. The roots will hold the soil in place which could otherwise be eroded by rain or wind. Their roots will also aerate the soil allowing for more water to penetrate the soil.

Pest Management: Certain cover crops might provide habitat for beneficial insects that will help manage pests. Some crops release chemicals that help control some pests and diseases.

Negatives of Cover Crops

While cover crops offer numerous benefits for your garden and contribute significantly to soil health, it is essential to be aware of potential drawbacks. We want to ensure you have a complete understanding before making any decisions. Evaluating both the advantages and disadvantages before introducing new practices in your garden is crucial.

Water use: Like all crops, cover crops need water to grow. You need to account for the extra water usage needed. This may affect your water bill but also can be a concern if your area has limited water availability. You can try planning your cover crops to be sown just before it is forecasted to rain.

Time and Labour: You have to keep in mind the extra time and effort that goes into planting another crop. The process of planting, mowing, and tilling takes a good amount of time. It also takes more time to plan this out with the timing of your other crops.

Pests and Disease: When planning your cover crops you need to be aware of the possibility of attracting pests or diseases that will effect later crops. Be sure to plant cover crops that aren’t known to attract more pests to your garden.

Accidental Overwintering: Properly killing off cover crops might be tricky and if not done correctly they can compete with the main crops. There is also the potential of overwintering. If you use a cover crop self seeds and germinates in the spring again you will essentially adding weeds into your garden. Make sure to research the type you are going to use and if it can overwinter in your area

Types of Cover Crops

Legumes: An excellent choice if you are looking to add more nitrogen into your garden. They are often fast growing and add a lot of organic matter back into the soil.

Grasses: This might be aa risky choice for some gardeners because they don’t always die from being mowed down. Do your research on grass selection and make sure it won’t turn into a weed in your garden beds. They grow fast and can help with soil erosion.

Brassicas: They do a good job of breaking up compacted soil and adding organic matter. They can also help with controlling some pests and diseases. When brassicas are chopped up or tilled they release a compound called isothiocyanates which is used to control pests and pathogens.

What To Avoid

You want to avoid planting cover crops that are in the same family as your next main crop. Plants in the same family require the same nutrients and this could take nutrients from your main crop. Most importantly you should not plant the same family because of pests and diseases. Crop rotation is very important even with cover crops. Not allowing a disease to die off before feeding it with the necessary crop will help continue the disease spread into your main crop. We talk more about crop rotation here Plant Spacing, Planting Depth & Succession Planting.

Plants that spread like weeds in your area or are considered invasive should also avoided. Do some research on the specific cover crop you choose to make sure you are not going to negatively harm the ecosystem. If you want to go the no till route you should avoid plants that spread through rhizomes or will not die once mowed down. Many grasses will survive being mowed so this should be considered before planting any grasses as cover crops.