31/03/2026
Cover crops are great… when you don't mess it up.
Cover crops improve soil health by providing living roots that feed microbes, increasing organic matter, and protecting the surface from erosion. They reduce compaction, enhance water infiltration and retention, and fix or scavenge nutrients for future crops. Essentially, they act as “green manure” to improve soil structure and structure.
But we chose the wrong cover crop for our beds that need early crops planted. Winter rye is likely great for corn, pumpkins, and tomato beds, but not broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce.
But that's alright, even if we didn't want to disturb the soil, we’ll have to this year to kill this crop off… and next year we’ll try again!
Have you tried cover crops for soil health in your backyard garden? What has worked well for you?
