Cover Crops

Best adapted to moist regions with mild winters and cool summers. This coarse grass tolerates partial shade, some traffic & a wide range of soils. Good cover crop, good forage. Can persist & be too competitive with excess water. Sow in late spring for a summer cover crop. 1 lb. per 1,000 sq. ft.

A natural glue made from plant material, binder holds seeds and mulch in place; especially helpful in windblown or sloped areas. Broadcast seed, mulch and binder together, or sprinkle binder on top of the mulch that is covering the seed, then water to make the binder gluey. Also holds moisture and will help give good resuilts on flat areas. Coverage rate: 2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. for flat areas, more according to the steepness of slope or exposure to wind.

An aggressive plant if kept well watered; assists in weed control, tolerates poor soil & makes phosphates available. Needs warm soil to germinate. Sow in late spring for a summer cover crop. Good bee plant making a strong, dark honey. 1-2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Sow this nitrogen-fixing legume in early spring for vigorous growth. May be turned in late spring or left to improve the soil throughout the season. Alkaline tolerant. Field peas are a good fodder, but not tasty to us. 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Adaptable, perennial nitrogen-fixing legume. Plant early fall to establish before cold weather. Puts on most growth in late spring. 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Nitrogen fixing biennial cover crop, great as companion plant to grains, grasses, vegetables. Suppresses weeds, good insectary, adaptable to various soils and climates.  Can be overseeded into standing crops, 10-12 pounds per acre.

Perennial nitrogen-fixing legume.  Takes poor soils and some drought.  Sow in fall, winter or early spring for spring germination.  May be tilled under at any point, used as hay or forage.  Does not cause bloat!  Beautiful pink flowers, loved by bees.  2-3 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

A foot-tall perennial, nitrogen-fixing legume, with little pink flowers that look like strawberries. The stems trail along the ground making a springy turf, & then lie down in winter. Fairly drought & alkaline tolerant. Sow in spring; once established, twice a month watering should do. 1/4 lb. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Shallow-rooted perennial whose creeping stems root in all directions. Relished by livestock. Provides erosion control & soil improvement. Abundant flowers attractive to bees. Sow in late spring for a summer cover crop. Needs 30" of precipitation. 1/2 lb. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Planted in autumn, this grass can grow to 4 ft. in spring. Till in before stems grow stiff & difficult to till. This is a high production plant tolerant of poor soils. 2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.

The grain that made the Midwest our breadbasket. A winter annual that germinates in autumn, overwinters as a seedling & although dormant in the winter provides soil stabilization. Mature height is about 2 ft. Allow plants to go to seed if you want the grain or turn under beforehand if your intent is organic soil improvement. 2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.