The key to a healthy garden is healthy soil. Sowing cover crops in the fall is an easy and inexpensive way to prep your soil for spring. Cover crops, also called "green manure" because the plants are turned over directly into the soil, are nitrogen-fixing plants that build the fertility of your soil just by growing there.
In addition to building better soil, cover crops protect otherwise exposed soil through the winter and help prevent early weeds. In the spring, crops like fava beans and crimson clover beautify your garden while the rain’s still falling. Red clover blossoms make delicious tea, and sweet peas, a sweet bouquet.
Cover crops in four easy steps
- Purchase cover crop seed from your local garden store. Often you can find the seed in bulk, and mix and match. Ask your garden store or a farmer for suggestions.
- Once you’ve harvested your summer and fall bounty (don’t forget to fry those green tomatoes), clear the spent plants from your garden plot and compost them.
- Toss your cover crop seed on your garden, as orderly or chaotic as you like. Cover the seeds with a light dusting of garden dirt or compost. Then let them grow.
- In the spring, simply turn over your cover crops right into the soil (you might have to mow or cut taller plants first). In a couple of weeks, your soil will be nutrient-rich and ready for spring planting.
Learn more about cultivating healthy soil for healthy plants. Schedule a free presentation from a local garden expert for your club or community group.