COVER CROPS FOR THE SOIL

Timeless remedies

- Alice Spenser-Higgs

The ancient rhythm of cultivating vegetables has been one of work and rest, not just for the gardener but for the soil as well. Planting cover crops that put more in than they take out is a way of not only resting the soil but also rejuvenating it. Cover crops add to the soil’s organic content, inject nutrients, break the disease cycle and loosen up compacted soil, improving drainage and water availability.

Planting a single cover crop, however, won’t do all of that, because cover crops have different functions. The grassier varieties add organic mass (biomass), legumes provide nitrogen, and mustards have a fumigating action. Diagnose what your overworked veggie patch needs and select the most appropriate cover crops for the job.

March and April are the best months for sowing cover crops. As beds are cleared for autumn and winter veggies, put aside one or two for cover cropping. Ideally, these would be for your prime spring and summer crops. Cover cropping is ideal for gardens that are less productive in winter.

Cover crops are broadcast sown and not thinned out. Keep the soil moist during germination, and once they are established they can be left to their own devices, only watered when necessary. At the end of winter, before the plant's flower or set seed, dig the whole plant into the ground or cut off the top growth and leave it on the surface as a mulch, while the roots remain in the soil.

Don’t plant a new crop immediately but wait for at least a month or so for the material to decompose. Plant material uses nitrogen to break down, which is not available to plants. Only once decomposition is complete does the nitrogen become available again.

PLANT FOR BIOMASS