Want to Know the Secret to Better Soil?

Discover how cover crops and green manures combat erosion, boost soil nutrients, and set your growing space up for a stronger season ahead.

We've decided to give away this high quality Cover Crop Seed Growing instructional guide. Yes, it's completely free!

Download Free Cover Crop Growing Guide PDF

Cover crops renew your soil with nutrients, organic matter, and restore soil structure. A cost-effective way to sustainably maintain healthy soils with natural weed suppression and pest control benefits.

Not sure which cover crop is right for you?

Try our All-purpose Garden Cover Crop Mix for home gardens and small farms.

What is the difference between a cover crop and a ground cover?

• A cover crop is temporary. It's grown to improve the soil, mainly through decomposition after it's terminated. A ground cover is permanent or long-term. Its job is to suppress weeds, cut down on mud, and look good.

What are the benefits of cover crops?

• The biggest benefit is added organic matter once the crop breaks down. Cover crops also suppress weeds and pull up nutrients from deeper in the soil than most crop roots reach. Legume cover crops — the bean and clover family — go a step further: they pull nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil, making this important nutrient available to whatever you plant next.

To till or not to till?

• This comes down to personal preference and what you're trying to accomplish. Both approaches have real benefits. Leaving a terminated cover crop on the surface lets it act as a mulch. This keeps the soil cooler and moister, helps suppress new weeds, and breaks down slowly, releasing nutrients over time. It also disturbs the soil less — no-till keeps the soil's natural layers intact, along with the fungal networks that help keep it healthy.
• Tilling (or, more gently, forking the soil over) works the cover crop's organic matter directly into the ground. This loosens the soil, helping it hold moisture and let air through, both of which benefit the plants and the microbes breaking everything down. It also leaves a softer seedbed, which is often easier to plant into.

What is cover crop inoculant?

• Legumes pull nitrogen from the air with help from a bacterial partner. Inoculant is how you supply that bacteria to the seed. It's a live product with a limited shelf life, so it's best applied right before planting. One catch: not every rhizobia strain works with every legume, so it's important to match the inoculant to the specific crop you're planting.

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