Why You Should Plant Cover Crops

Your soil health is imperative to ensuring that your plants grow and thrive. Your topsoil is consistently under threat from various forces that can jeopardize the health of your soil. Frost, soil erosion, nutrient deprivation, and pest damage are some of the things that can harm soil health. When we are not planting flowers or vegetables, these things can become even more worrisome. Thankfully, cover crops can help.

Cover crops are plants that are designed to protect your soil and are not meant to be harvested. Common cover crops include hairy vetch, annual ryegrass, cereal rye, crimson clover, and cowpea. They help protect your soil from the harmful damages of cold weather and frost that the winter months bring. Cover crops also improve soil fertility, boost moisture retention capacity, reduce soil compaction, and limit nutrient runoff.