Choosing Cover Crops for the Homestead

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PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Flowering mustard makes a great cover crop.

Here are a variety of plants you can use when choosing cover crops for the homestead farm.

LEGUMES When choosing cover crops edible legumes can be grown for food as well as cover. When sown in fall, they provide protection against winter soil erosion. Flowering in spring, they provide a food source for beneficial insects. And, even when the pods are harvested, the vines still provide lots of organic matter — and some nutrients — when turned back into the soil. Keep in mind, however, that your soil will benefit most from an unharvested crop turned under at its nutritional peak.

ALFALFA(Medicago sativa) is a slow-growing perennial with a deep taproot and aggressive secondary roots that can be hard to handle. “Nitro-alfalfa” has become the home gardener’s best bet. While faster growing than regular alfalfa, it’s mild-mannered and therefore easier to kill. Sow in spring or summer.

BELL BEAN(Vicia faba), also known as fava bean, isn’t really a bean at all but rather a member of the vetch family. A vigorous taproot and abundant foliage provide an enormous amount of easily tilled organic matter. Bell beans tolerate acidic soils and temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow in the fall or very early spring.

CLOVERS include both annuals and perennials. Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) is a productive summer or winter annual that tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Crimson clover (T. incarnatum) , a winter-hardy annual growing one to three feet high, won’t multiply with runners and is easily eliminated through tilling. Dutch white clover (T. repens), a low-growing perennial, is easily cultivated and can be grown as a living mulch in garden paths or between rows of vegetables. Red clover (T. pratense) is a quick-growing biennial that can be planted from spring through fall. Subterranean clover (T. subterraneum) is a cool-season reseeding annual, best for sowing under taller crops or in vineyards and orchards. New Zealand white clover (T. repens) is a hardy, long-lived perennial that is taller and more heat-resistant than Dutch white clover. Sow clovers spring through fall, depending on the species.

  • Published on Apr 1, 2000
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