The Secret to an Epic Garden - Winter Cover Crops
Cover crops are a valuable tool in productive growing. Even if you have a small garden, they can make a big difference. Cover crops are plants grown primarily for soil health and can help manage pests, attract beneficial insects, and provide additional food for pollinators. Here's a guide on how to use cover crops in your large or small regenerative garden.
5 reasons to use cover Crops
Soil Nutrition
Often referred to as "Green Manure" Cover Crops add tons of Nutrients into your soil! Not only do some plants literally add Nitrogen to the soil (Legume family) others will mine existing nutrients from the soil that were not previously bioavailable to your veggies & flowers. Being bioavailable means that the nutrient is in a form that can be absorbed by an organism. When you cut down your cover crops in the Spring and leave them to break down as mulch, the nutrients leach back into the soil ready for the young roots of your veggies & flowers!
Ground Cover
During the rainy, windy, & frozen Winter cover crops provide insulation for your soil to reduce freeze/thaw cycles and soil erosion. The same is true in hot dry windy Summers cover crops provide protection from the heat and retain moisture in the soil.
Beneficial insects
The root systems and foliage of the plants provide protection and habitat for beneficial insects during the cold months. This will reduce pest pressure in the following years because the pests will now have predators nearby! This will also increase future pollination rates as a wider array of pollinator insects will have moved into your space.
Free Mulch / Compost
The root systems of Cover Crops provide erosion control, reduced weed pressure, water retention, and reduced waterlogging of soils!
Want an earlier start to your garden come springtime, with less weeding, and waiting for the weather to change? Cover crops are a great solution!
Buying Compost/Soil is getting expensive, as people are discovering its immense value in growing food. So a cheaper (and trustworthy) solution is growing the plants that become the compost.
Winter Beauty
Having a "Dead" garden in the Winter can be an eye-sore for some. Winter Cover Crops provide some living green plants to the landscape during the grey months! If sown in the Fall you'll also be treated to an array of colors as the flowers are the first Spring blooms!
Planning & Planting Your Cover Crops
Choose the right cover crop
The right cover crop for your small garden will depend on your climate, soil type, and space limitations. Popular cover crops for small gardens include vetch, peas, rye, and oats. Choose a cover crop that will provide the benefits you want for your soil and garden.
Plan for succession
In a small garden, it's especially important to plan for succession. Cover crops can be grown during the off-season when you're not growing your main crops. Plan your garden carefully to make sure there's no overlap between your main crops and cover crops. You can also use cover crops as a living mulch by planting them in between your main crops.
This can be fairly simple. When you're done harvesting your Summer Garden & ready to put the garden "to bed" for the Winter, sow your cover crops.
Plant at the right time
Timing is important when it comes to planting cover crops. In general, you should plant cover crops when the soil temperature is still warm but the days are getting shorter. This will give the cover crop enough time to establish itself before the colder weather sets in.
I plant mine after the first light frost (Night temps at 32-29 degrees F) or when I'm ready to remove my Summer annuals. Whichever comes first.
Prepare the soil
Before planting your cover crop, make sure your soil is well-prepared. Remove any weeds, rocks, or debris and loosen the soil. If necessary, add compost or other soil amendments to improve soil fertility.
To be honest, I've gotten lazier every year about this step. This year, as an experiment, I've planted cover crops directly on top of the grass, with a 1/2 inch of soil over top for germination. Once the cover crops are established I will place a layer of leaves that will settle over the grass. In this way, I'm creating a living sheet mulch.
Manage your cover crop
Once your cover crop is growing, it's important to manage it properly. In the springtime after the plants have flowered, but before the seeds are mature, cut the plants down and leave them in place as a layer of mulch. If you like you can till in the plant residue, however, this would counteract the subsoil benefits of the cover crop.
In conclusion, cover crops are a valuable addition to any small regenerative garden. By choosing the right cover crop, planning for succession, planting at the right time, preparing the soil, and managing the cover crop properly, you can improve soil health and grow a bountiful garden. With a little effort, you can incorporate cover crops into your garden and reap the benefits for years to come.