What is cover crop or green manure
and why use them?
Cover crops can:
- Protect your soil from runoff and erosion
- Recycle and supply nutrients
- Replace soil organic matter
- Suppress weeds
- Attract beneficial insects
- Break up compacted soils
When and why:
| Cover Crop | When to Sow | When to Turn Under | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phacelia | End of Mar – Early August | 40-55 days after sowing | Provides food for beneficial insects. Pretty flowers, a lot of organic matter, smothers weeds |
| Alyssum | End of Mar – Early August | 3 weeks before planting next crop | Provides food for beneficial insects. Pretty flowers and a lot of organic matter |
| Buckwheat | April – early Aug | 40-55 days after sowing | Produces a lot of organic matter and smothers weeds. Provides food for beneficial insects. |
| Dutch White Clover | Apr-Jun, Aug-Sep | cut 2 or more times a month | Nitrogen fixing, great as a living mulch under trees and in areas with foot traffic |
| Crimson Clover | Sep – Oct | Apr – May | Easy to turn, beautiful blooms, can be sown under existing crops |
| Cayuse Oats | Sep – Oct | Apr – May | Quick, weed-suppressing biomass, can improve the productivity of legumes when planted together |
| Rye | Sep – Early Nov | Apr | Grows well in cool conditions, supports legumes |
| Hairy Vetch | Sep – Early Nov | Mar – Apr | Nitrogen fixing, good biomass, feeds beneficial insects. Best if mixed with a cereal (rye or oats). |
| Fava | Oct-early Nov | May | Taproot breaks up compacted soils and adds organic matter, flowers are edible |