A cover crop, also known as a living mulch or green manure, is a mixture of legumes and grasses planted to help build soil health. While planting cover crops isn’t common practice in modern industrial agriculture, it is widely celebrated by many ecologically conscious farmers, gardeners, and foresters around the world. One such notable proponent was Japanese natural farmer and philosopher, Masanobu Fukuoka, who used cover crops to revegetate desertified, broad-acre landscapes. ………
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What and When to Plant
Cover crops will do wonders for building the health of your soil overall, but you can select specific varieties to achieve desired results. For example, choose hairy vetch to fix nitrogen into the soil, or choose rye to help prevent erosion. Here is a great PDF resource for choosing what crops to plant by U.S. region.
The best time to plant a cover crop will depend on your bioregion, soil type, climate, and more. In general, plant cover crops in any soil that could use an added boost of health. It’s true, this could equate in a desire to plant a cover crop across the entire earth’s surface — but let’s start small.
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How to Plant Cover Crops
One of the best parts about planting a cover crop is that they’re simple and easy to sow, grow, and harvest. Here’s a brief breakdown on how to get started planting.
1. Prepare garden beds. Pull any mulch layer to the side. Remove weeds and/or any leftover plants from last season. I like to cut plants at the stem, just above the surface of the soil, and leave the roots intact in order to retain soil structure and give roots the chance to breakdown and deposit their nutrients directly into the soil. …………
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Article source: Mother Earth News
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