Cover Crops For No Dig Gardening

Jack describes that cover crops such as vetch, crimson clover and oat straw make an ideal selection for no dig gardens. Once harvested before flowering begins, these cover crops can easily be tilled back into the soil or mulched in place to complete this task.

This minimal disturbance approach gives the soil time to rest, provides aeration, and feeds numerous beneficial soil organisms – while also helping prevent compaction of its contents.

Leave the Roots

As spring temperatures warm, cover crops like winter rye and leguminous varieties like hairy vetch begin to flourish rapidly, offering opportunities for green manures (also referred to as “green mulch”) that improve soil structure while simultaneously keeping moisture at optimal levels, suppressing weeds, fixing nitrogen without needing synthetic fertilizers, and fixing carbon into soil structure.

Mowing or tilling cover crops into the soil allows this biomass to be broken down and digested by its soil food web, increasing overall soil quality and improving its health. Cover crops also serve as an effective means of controlling weeds as their dense root systems prevent seedlings from penetrating the soil and growing. Flail mowers and rotary mowers work great for keeping these large-rooted crops under control; hand sickles or scythes provide greater precision while minimizing soil disturbance. It is ideal to mow these cover crops three to four weeks prior to planting in order for their decomposition into soil food web digestion process to happen naturally and organically over time.

Leave the Foliage

Cover crops such as rye and oats can help control weeds, break up compaction, improve water infiltration and release organic matter while providing an invaluable source of nitrogen through their root systems for future edible planting.

Cover crop roots and stems turned in by mowing or tilling are quickly digested by soil microorganisms, prompting their digestion before planting can resume. After this process has occurred, soil needs some time to recover before new planting can begin again.

There are hundreds of cover crop varieties to choose from, each designed for different purposes and goals. Some cover crops are fast growing and weed suppressive while others act as nitrogen fixers (such as hairy vetch, crimson clover or fava beans). Some offer high protein feed for livestock while others can serve as winter erosion controls – the ideal one will depend on what fits best with your garden needs and goals.

Leave the Stems

Flail mowers or rotary mowing machines can quickly convert biomass into fine mulch that decomposes quickly. Disc harrows and rototillers may also be used, though be cautious not to disturb the soil beneath. Hand sickles or scythes offer more precise control.

Clover and vetch legumes are particularly valuable as they host nitrogen-fixing bacteria that help nourish the soil, making them an excellent nitrogen-fixing cover crop to grow instead of legumes such as beans or peas that require additional fertilisers.

At its core, it is best to work the bed as little as possible. On occasion this may become necessary; for instance when cutting back bramble roots or digging new beds. When this is required, walk carefully along planks in order to distribute weight evenly while minimising compaction – digging causes considerable disturbance of soil life and should therefore be done sparingly and with care.

Leave the Seeds

Jack notes that for optimal no dig gardening results, cover crops should be cut as soon as they start blooming – this is when they offer their maximum benefit and also when plants secrete growth inhibiting chemicals which inhibit germination of weeds and seedlings.

Tilling or turning over crops releases growth-inhibiting chemicals into the soil and disrupts its complex structure, as well as blocking nutrients absorbed through its roots by cover crops like grasses and legumes. Waiting a few weeks allows time for any disruptions to be repaired while letting their nitrogen fixation do its work.

While waiting, the rest of your plants provide insulation and protection to the soil, inhibiting weeds while adding organic material as they decay. As long as there is minimal disruption caused by digging small holes into the mulch layer (e.g. for planting shrubs, trees or potatoes), digging holes for planting should not cause too much issue.