Vetch is a cover crop that will pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and store it in your soil. Plant cover crops from seed in fall and turn them under in spring.
Cover crops are fast-growing plants that are utilized by farmers and gardeners alike for one or more of their beneficial qualities and not usually intended as food crops.
A gardener will usually work these crops into the soil or remove them before they set seed. A healthy garden can benefit in several ways when cover crops are included in the annual rhythm of sowing and reaping.
It seems that for almost any problem, there is a cover crop solution. Try one, and you’ll notice over time how much better your garden performs with less input of extra water, fertilizer, and insecticide. Covercrops are the natural choice for a naturally better garden.
Some crops add nitrogen to the soil, pulling it from thin air. Others pull up minerals from deep underground and concentrate it in the topsoil as you till the plant into the earth. Other cover crops work like a rototiller to loosen heavy soils with their vigorous roots.
How to Get Started with Cover Crops
Preparation can usually be minimal for sowing covercrops. Cultivate the soil to a depth of about 1 inch and rake out any large debris or weeds. Sow the seeds at the rate recommended on the packet. Seeds can usually be scattered evenly. After sowing, tamp down the soil lightly to create good contact between seed and soil. Water immediately after sowing and keep the area moist until your plants emerge. After establishment, most covercrops require minimal additional water.
It is usually best to cut down or incorporate covercrops before they produce seed. Cut or till the plants just as they begin to flower or before. Small plants can be directly tilled into your soil. Larger plants can be cut down with a weed trimmer or mower and left on the soil surface to dry for a few days before they are roto-tilled in.
We carry an assortment of cover crop seeds from Botanical Interests as well as larger bags of fava beans.
