Planting a cover crop is a great way to bring nutrients in the soil by essentially growing a plant to practice the “chop and drop” method with. Note that if you are planting a cover crop in a garden bed, that you’ll want to “chop and drop” before it goes to seed.

You typically want to plant a cover crop in the autumn or very early in the spring. Follow the instructions that the seed shop gives for your zone and goals. Some crops will naturally die back in the winter months, so you don’t have to remove them through chop and drop manually.

Since you’ll likely be covering a larger space with your cover crop, and you’ll be sowing it densely, I’d recommend purchasing your cover crop seed in bulk to save money.

‍

The Climate Change Connection

soil practices for a healthier planet

If you are gardening and have the ability to plant a cover crop, it’s an act that can actually support the planet - both through the soil and beyond the soil.

In fact, this study shows that if 20 million acres of farmland had a cover crop for one season that was properly cut back before the next growing season, it would offset the emissions from 12.8 million cars.

That’s 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide! 1

For some context, the same would be accomplished if around 992,000,000 tree seedlings were grown for 10 years. 2

I did some research and found that currently, 4 billion acres of the planet are croplands. 3

20 million acres out of 4 billion acres is just .5%.

.5% !

What’s happening here is the power of carbon capture.

You know that trees capture carbon dioxide and store it, sequestering it from the atmosphere.

Well, plants do the same thing - and in the case of cover crops, the carbon that is captured is stored in the soil.

If we planted 200 million acres of cover crops each year, napkin math says that would sequester the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by all passenger vehicles on a yearly basis 4. That would be 5% of food croplands.

I understand that the science of all of this is more complicated than my napkin math, and so I might not be totally accurate here. But it’s promising nevertheless.

Other environmental benefits of cover crops are:

• Water less: as mentioned above, adding organic matter to the soil helps reduce the amount of watering that future crops sown in that same area need.
  
• Keep your soil: More organic matter means that the soil is less likely to wash away or erode.
  
• Attract pollinators: Many cover crops flower before going to seed. By allowing the plants to flower and then cutting them back before they go to seed, farmers can provide food for bees and other pollinators. 5
  
• Less slugs! Less aphids! Cover crops also attract beneficial insects that eat garden pests (or their eggs) while leaving your plants alone. Slugs are the bane of my existence, but cover crops attract beetles which feed on slug eggs. The cover crops don’t even need to flower to provide habitat for these amazing creatures. 6 For some farmers, this may mean less pesticides are applied.
  
• Buy less fertilizer: If you’re planting a cover crop that provides nutrients to the soil, you probably will need less/little fertilizer the following season. This prevents excess nitrogen and other fertilizers from running off and going into waterways. 7
  
• Less pesky plants: If farmers don’t have a weed problem because the cover crop solved that, then herbicides aren’t needed. 8

plus…

• Bonus points! Planting a cover crop and improving the soil may mean that you don’t have to till. No-till practices further reduce the amount of carbon and methane released from the soil. 9
  

“Conventional tilling, that is plowing up the dirt, encourages microbial action. That can lead to CO2 emissions and the more potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide.” 10

‍

‍

a handy flowchart to help you pick which cover crop you should plant based on your needs:

It can be frustrating to sift through all the cover crop information to figure out which one you need, so I made a flow chart for you, based on the season, soil type, pest issues, and other needs.

‍

data compiled from information on SARE

‍

‍

here is a list of cover crops + what they provide to your soil:

1. alfalfa as a cover crop:

Adds carbon + nitrogen‍

winter sown
great for compact soil

2. cereal rye as a cover crop:

Adds  biomass + is winter hardy

late fall sown
grows quickly
can reduce harmful nematodes + help with weed reduction

3. daikon radish as a cover crop:

Loosens compact soil‍

sow late fall, winter, or spring
our top choice for compact soil

4. field peas a cover crop:

Adds nitrogen

sow in spring or fall; can over winter
**do not sow if you had nematode pest issues

5. buckwheat as a cover crop:

smothers weeds and winter-kills

sow in summer
grows fast
does alright in hot and dry environments

6. soybeans as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and winter-kills

sow in summer
**do not sow if you had nematode pest issues

7. sorghum as a cover crop:

biomass + nutrient lifting

sow in summer
can reduce harmful nematodes
fast growing, can smother weeds
brings nutrients up to the surface
reduces erosion

8. sunn hemp as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and biomass

sow in summer
can reduce harmful nematodes
fast growing

9. oats as a cover crop:

lifts nutrients and reduces erosion

sow in summer or fall
brings nutrients up to the surface
usually winter kills

10. black eyed peas as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and winter-kills

sow in summer
**do not sow if you had nematode pest issues

11. hairy vetch as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and biomass

sow in fall or late fall
great for compact soil
does NOT winter kill
**do not sow if you had nematode pest issues

12. rye as a cover crop:

break up compact soil + nutrient lifting

sow in fall
can reduce harmful nematodes
adds biomass
reduces erosion

13. red clover as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and shade tolerant

sow in fall
does NOT winter kill

14. crimson clover as a cover crop:

nitrogen fixing and biomass

sow in fall

‍

cover crops build soil health

If you're looking for other ways to build health for your soil as you integrate regenerative practices into your garden, this article will show you more ways to improve the fertility of your garden while benefiting the planet as well.

‍