Home & Garden Tips

Fall is here and many gardeners just let the plants die out and leave the soil exposed. You should consider planting a winter cover crop. Cover crops are an economical way to both protect and build the soil.

C o v e r crops are usually a grass or legume such as clover, planted

on the garden

site to help hold and build the soil. You can use both summer and winter cover crops for either season. For now, let's focus on the winter type.

Growing cover crops offers many benefits:

Reduced erosion Improved soil structure and reduced surface crusting

Increased water holding capacity of the soil

Reduced winter weed growth

Reduced herbicide injury

Winter hardpan penetration, improving the soil for the crop that follows

Added nitrogen if the cover crop is a legume

There are two general types of cover crops, leguminous and non-leguminous. Leguminous cover crops, such as vetch and clover, add nitrogen to the soil. Non-leguminous ones, such as wheat and rye, don't fix nitrogen but are preferred on erosive soils.

Crimson clover is probably the most commonly used and most desirable of the clovers grown for a cover crop. It matures earlier and produces more nitrogen and dry matter earlier than most other clovers. And excellent crop of crimson clover can produce up to 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre and 30 to 50 pounds is common.

Nonleguminous cover crops (rye, ryegrass and wheat) have several advantages. For one thing, they cost less to get established than a leguminous crop. They provide longer and better erosion control because they grow more in the winter and have fibrous root systems. Their major disadvantage is that they don't fix nitrogen and usually require some nitrogen fertilizer when you plant them.

It is important to plant cover crops early to establish early root growth before cold weather comes. This helps the crop better survive a hard winter. Plant legumes in mid-September to mid-October and grass in early October to mid-November. A soil test will tell you how much lime, phosphate and potash your cover crop needs. If your soil needs lime, phosphate or potash, apply them in the fall just before preparing the seedbed.

If you're growing a legume cover crop, don't add a heavy nitrogen fertilizer. However, treat the seed with the correct nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This inoculant is important to ensure good germination.

Prepare the seedbed the same way you did for your spring garden. Either remove or till in old crops, working the soil while it is slightly moist but not wet. Rake or drag in the seeds of grass-type cover crops to a depth of one-half inch. Clovertype seeds are tiny. Only lightly rake them in to provide good soil contact (don't bury the seed).

Improving the crop with a cover crop is a long term venture. Over time, these crops can and will add organic content to the soil. When spring arrives again each year, just till them in to help feed the next year's vegetable garden.