Cover Cropping Calendar For Home Vegetable Gardens From Spring to Fall

Cover crops provide protection from erosion, aeration, suppression of weeds, addition of organic matter and recycling of nutrients in soil. When managed effectively they form the basis of healthy vegetable production for next year.

Legumes such as crimson clover, field peas and hairy vetch can act as nitrogen “fixers,” drawing up nutrients through their roots nodules for use by vegetables. Plant them late summer through fall to ensure harvest before winter kills them off.

Spring

Warm season cover crops such as buckwheat can quickly fill an empty plot in spring and summer gardens, acting to block out weeds while protecting soil erosion and crusting. They’re easily tilled or tilled into the soil before going to seed; otherwise they can be left to flower first before being cut back with a mower or trimmer before turning under.

Overwintering cover crop seeds like rye, hairy vetch and field peas should be planted in the fall to be killed off by freezing winter temperatures or remain dormant before emerging again in spring. These crops enhance organic matter levels in your soil while providing water filtration and retention benefits, suppress weeds and providing habitat for pollinators. When selecting legume cover crops as vegetable garden cover crop mixes for use as legume cover crop mixes choose peas/oats mixes that fix nitrogen into your soil while supporting pollinators too – make sure residue can decompose without blocking sun-loving vegetables from being planted directly next year.

Summer

Summer is an excellent time for planting cover crops to suppress weeds and protect bare soil from erosion. Common buckwheat, for instance, grows quickly to loosen clay soils while providing nectar to pollinators. Clovers like common red and dwarf white clover also do well because they fix nitrogen into the soil which all plants require for photosynthesis to proceed successfully.

Many cover crops can either be left to winterkill naturally or killed with tillage prior to planting vegetables, making field pea/oats mixes the perfect option. Peas can be left for winterkill while oats can be pulled in spring to reduce competition from fall-planted vegetables (see UF/IFAS EDIS publication “Covers Crops to Manage Root-Knot Nematodes” for details). You could also try our Gardenway Mix which contains multiple plants specifically selected to achieve multiple goals such as improving soil structure, decreasing weeds and fixing nitrogen fixes in your soil.

Fall

Cover cropping might sound intimidating to novice farmers, but anyone can incorporate cover crops into their vegetable production. When starting out, start small by planting smaller amounts of seed before gradually increasing scale as your confidence builds.

Cool season cover crops planted during late summer and fall can help prevent soil erosion caused by autumn rains, as well as suppress weeds, add organic matter, and boost nitrogen levels in your soil. To get started, please see our cover crop selection page for vegetable growers, which walks through all the various species available to them and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Field peas and oats provide benefits in terms of nitrogen fixation (peas) and soil health (oats), while hairy vetch and winter rye provide effective winter suppression and nitrification. To maximize effectiveness, harvest cover crops before they flower, thoroughly tilling in before cutting before flowering occurs, to ensure all the benefits from plants like hairy vetch are fully integrated into the soil and no additional nitrification occurs through these sources.

Winter

Winter cover crops can play an integral part in improving soil and controlling weeds in your garden. When possible, try planting a mix of legumes and non-legumes like crimson clover or buckwheat for maximum benefits; legumes fix nitrogen for spring vegetable crops while any flowering plants that go to seed can be killed off before becoming nuisances in your garden.

To achieve the best results, sow your cover crop in an area where it can be tilled under before winter rains start. This strategy is particularly beneficial in sandy soils where it will help aerate and improve structure of the soil. Tarping may be an alternative; experiment with mixtures, interseeding and tarping until you find what best works in your garden. When ready, your cover crop should have advanced at least three weeks prior to planting summer vegetables.