Cover Crops

"Cover crops" are quick-growing annual or perennial plants grown in a garden site between growing seasons. They are dug or plowed into the soil before the next growing season, where they improve the soil's structure as they decompose and supply nutrients to new plants.

Examples of commonly planted cover crops include oats, rye, Sudan grass, buckwheat, clover, fava beans and soybeans. Whatever you choose, it's a good idea to mow the crop before it flowers and sets seed, to discourage unwanted regrowth.