Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cover-crop]

Planted primarily to manage soil quality.

Cover crops are crops that are planted primarily to manage soil fertility, quality, water, weeds,pests, biodiversity, and diseases; rather than to grow produce. They are often used in sustainable agriculture as a more natural method of maintaining the quality of the growing area.

Example cover crops include clover (fixes nitrogen) and sorghums & mustards (both suppress weeds).

Use this tag for all questions cover crops - especially whether they should be used, and which should be used for your particular situation.

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How much time does clover need to establish before winter?

I'm planting Mammoth Red Clover as a cover crop -- it will grow all next year in a couple of my garden beds, and I'll plow it under the following spring (~18 months from now). I'd like to get it started this fall, but I'm wondering: how much time…
bstpierre
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How do I know when winter rye seed is ready to harvest?

I planted some winter rye last fall to hold a patch of soil over the winter. Planned to mow it, but spring came, summer came, and I still haven't cut it down. It's got beautiful fat seed heads on it now. How do I know when these are ready to harvest…
bstpierre
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Tilled under buckwheat, how long to wait before replanting?

I planted a small plot to buckwheat as a green manure / cover crop this spring. Today I chopped it down, put the cuttings in the compost, and tilled the stubble under. I'd like to make another planting of buckwheat (it's only 40d to flower), but I'm…
bstpierre
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How should I 'close out' a garden bed before moving?

I am moving out of a rental in zone 6 of eastern USA where I built two small garden beds using thin cedar wood in an urban yard. The landlord is okay with the beds staying there or going with me, but I'm happy to leave them - enough to move already,…
cr0
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Do rye or oats make a better winter cover for a poor soil vegetable garden?

One of my vegetable garden areas has low organic matter. I would like to help it with a grass winter cover. The two I am looking at are oats and rye, both of which grow all winter and get plowed under in spring. My question is, which one is better…
J. Musser
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Ground cover - maximizing value

I planted some fava beans a few months back as cover crop in my vegetable raised bed. They grew very well and as suggested my members of this group, I cut the top part and left the roots inside to provide nitrogen. I am wondering what to do with the…
JStorage
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Ideas for a good green mulch for a shady area?

I'm trying to start cultivating a shady plot of dirt where nothing currently grows. The soil is quite compacted, and I think the first thing we need is a green mulch or cover crop that will do well in a shady area. I did dig in some half finished…
Amanda
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Are there any common allelopathic plants suitable as a pre-lawn winter cover crop?

Being March in the Southern hemisphere, winter is approaching. I have just had my very-weedy front yard levelled. Most of the weeds have been removed, but I don't want to sow grass until I've given some of the remaining weed stalks a chance to show…
Highly Irregular
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Gardening calendar for vegetable beds

I have 3 raised beds in my backyard that I want to maximize use for. Does someone have an approximate calendar (does not have to be perfect) which outlines what activities (growing, harvesting and maintaining) should be during different months of…
JStorage
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Does it make sense to plant a cover crop in raised beds?

I'm wondering if it makes sense to plant a cover crop in my raised beds over winter. If so, what plant would you recommend for south-central Ohio. I have three 4'x8' double dug beds.
RubberDuck
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Should I mulch after turning in a cover crop? In a raised bed

I planted a cover cropping mix (clover mix) and recently turned it into the soil so that it can decompose in 3-6 weeks. First I cut the green parts of the cover crop into the soil and then used a hoe to turn them in. I usually mulch my bed with…
fnwovnwownf
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What is the quickest germinating leguminous cover crop?

I would like to find a good leguminous cover crop that sprouts quickly, and grows fast, especially the roots. What are the best ones for this purpose (and the pros/cons of those you mention)? Disease/pest resistance is a major plus, but not strictly…
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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Crop rotation: by season instead of by year?

I have 3 raised beds in a small 30 m2 greenhouse, this is the first year I have it so I don't have much experience. I've been reading about crop rotation, and was wondering why you can't or shouldn't plant the same crop every year. Can't you just…
lolact
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I've read that composting can reach up to 140 degrees - does this affect my plants?

I plan to do approximately a 1'x1' curved ditch between my garden rows filled with wood chips, and manure, will this make the plants get too warm, or will it keep the soil cooler like cover crops do??
black thumb
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What do I do with cover crops before planting vegetables in a raised bed?

I have a raised bed that I use to plant vegetables. Over the winter, I have planted fava beans as cover crop to get some nitrogen in the soil. What should I do with the fava plants before I plant the vegetables? Should I cut the top and leave the…
JStorage
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