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Down the Garden Path: Cover crops for the home vegetable garden · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Down the garden path Cover crops for the home vegetable garden Written
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  by Katrina Burmeister, University of Illinois Extension. This article is being read
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  by an automated voice brought to you by Everlet. Cover crops can
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  improve soil fertility while helping manage weeds, pests, and diseases. Cover
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  crops improve soil quality, which can lead to improved harvests while also
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  providing benefits to the ecosystem. However, cover
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  crops are not intended to be harvested. They can be planted between
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  vegetable growing seasons when the garden would otherwise be fallow, such as
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  in early fall after the last harvest. Perennial Cover crops also can
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  be used as living mulch, growing at the same time as vegetable
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  crops in otherwise open areas such as between rows, benefits Weed suppression:
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  Establishing cover crops before weeds emerge and set seed can decrease weed
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  establishment. Some Cover
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  crops also can suppress weed growth by secreting chemicals alelochemicals from their
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  roots that inhibit weed growth. Improving soil structure and fertility, cover crops
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  improve soil structure and fertility by increasing organic matter and adding biomass
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  below the soil surface. Adding compost in
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  the fall can provide similar benefits to your garden. Improved soil structure
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  creates better pore space, which improves water infiltration, drainage, and aeration. It
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  also improves the soil's ability to hold water and nutrients. Cover crops
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  can also be an excellent way to add nitrogen to them soil,
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  particularly when nitrogen-fixing legumes such as Cover peas, or hairy vetch are
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  used. These plants work with beneficial soil bacteria to capture nitrogen from
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  the atmosphere and make it available to plants. Recycling nutrients, cover crops
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  can help capture nutrients in the soil than might otherwise be lost
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  through leaching into groundwater or carried away by surface runoff. These nutrient
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  are absorbed and used by the cover crops as it matures. When
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  the cover crop is terminated, the plant material decomposes and releases nutrients
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  back into the soil, making them available to future garden crops. Soil
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  erosion control cover crops help prevent soil erosion caused by wind and
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  heavy rainfall. Their leaves and stems slow water movement across the soil
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  surface while their roots help hold the soil in place. By reducing
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  the speed of runoff, cover
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  crops allow more water to infiltrate the soil rather than simply flowing
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  across the surface. This helps protect valuable topsoil, improve soil structure, and
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  reduce nutrient loss, establishing goals and priorities. Establishing goals before planting cover
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  crops will help you select the most appropriate cover crop species or
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  mix. Typical goals may include Weed suppression. Choose fast growing cover
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  crop. Including those with allloathic properties. Soil Management. Choose plant that produce
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  substantial biomass. Improving fertility, choose nitrogen-fixing legumes. If you are interested
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  in learning more about individual cover crop characteristics and planting dates for
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  our area, the Midwest Covercrop Council has developed a decision tool. Exit
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  strategy. Most cover crops are generally sown in late summer or early
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  fall in established gardens after summer vegetable have been harvested. Some cover
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  crops will naturally die over the winter. Winter kill. Cover crops that
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  do not winterkill will need to be terminated two to four weeks
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  before spring planting to avoid competing with garden crops. Termination is an
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  important consideration when selecting a cover crop. Termination methods include using soil
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  tarps, broad forking, tilling, weed whacking, turning plant material into the soil
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  and crimping. It is best to research the cover crop species that
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  will best achieve your goals while also considering its planting window, germination,
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  growth habits, and termination methods. Without proper planning and management, cover crops
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  can become difficult to control and may create more problems than they
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  solve for your vegetable garden. For more information, check out the following
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  resources. Katrina Burmeister is a certified Master Gardener volunteer with the University
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  of Illinois Extension, serving DuPage, Cain and Kendall counties.