Cover Crops: The What, Why, and How.
Cover crops have been used in agriculture for centuries; the practice isn’t new. However, during the mid-20th century, they fell out of favor with contemporary synthetic fertilizers. Cover crops can be used on any farm and in any garden; once you find a few that work in your environment and for your purposes, you’ll never want to go without them!
What are cover crops for?
Cover crops have countless uses: stabilizing soil, fixing nitrogen, attracting beneficial insects, building soil carbon, and much more! Really, the only limit is your imagination and, of course, your climate/zone. Cover crops aren’t a quick fix or silver bullet for any issue. Their contribution is amplified when used properly in conjunction with other regenerative farming practices.
Why use cover crops?
The real question is, why not? We use cover crops to build organic matter, suppress weeds, fix nutrients, feed bees and keep the soil covered during our rainy winters. Other farmers use cover crops to provide high-quality forage for grazing animals. You can even use a legume cover in your raised bed or potted plant to fixate nitrogen!
How to use cover crops?
Seed can be spread by hand on smaller plots, while many tools and implements exist to make larger areas more manageable. See the Spreading Seed page for more information on specific instruments and tools we have tried on our 8-10 acre plots.
How Basaltic Farms Works With Cover Crops
Cover Crop Information and Resources
Managing Cover Crops Profitably – This PDF, provided by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, contains just about all you need to select and manage cover crops.
Cover Crops: Selection and Management – Another SARE page that Includes links to webinars, research papers, selection tools, and much more!
Cover Crop Chart – A helpful chart containing 66 common cover crop species with information on growth cycle, water use, seeding depth, and more!
Cover Crop Cocktails – An excellent article exploring the methods of making your own seed mixtures; definitely worth a read if you’re looking to save money and maintain a diverse mix!