Even though I’ve been gardening for over 40 years, every year offers something new. This year is the great cover crop experiment. Instead of planting a cover crop before my vegetables and turning it in, or afterwards for the winter, it’s growing at the same time. The tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and other crops are planted with it. Hopefully, the result is improved soil tilth, less evaporation, and better weed control. But it will all depend on whether I can stand how it looks!

Using cover crops in a new way

Cover crops are nothing new. Since Roman times, farmers understood the benefit of planting certain varieties that feed the soil instead of pulling nutrients from it. I’ve dabbled with cover crops over the years with varying success, mostly because of timing issues. But last year, a friend mentioned that she plants a cover crop among her main crop, and I decided to give it a try. 

How to Test the Soil in Your Garden

Planting the cover crop experiment

Finding seed was a bit of a challenge this season with the post-pandemic hangover many gardening companies were experiencing. I managed to find a pea, oat, and vetch mix, and went with that. Normally, this combination is best planted in early spring to turn over before planting, or in the fall for a winter crop. I planted it in early April during a deceptive warm spell…and waited.

It took at least two weeks for the cover crop trio to germinate due to cold weather, but once it did, it came in thick. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be a challenge to deal with it all, but as the weather warmed, it felt as if I planted weeds in the garden.

It is easy enough to plant transplants within a this cover crop experiment. I simply dig the hole where needed, and plant as usual. For the most part I’ve resisted the urge to pull out all the living mulch around the plants. Instead I go through with a hand sickle and cut them to the ground. What is cut off is left in place for mulch. Immediately after cutting, everything looks tidy but it doesn’t take long for it to grow a bit gangly again.

Seeds are definitely more difficult, particularly since it didn’t look like the cover crop is going to germinate much, if at all, and everything came up together. For things like beans, I’ve been cutting the cover crop around the small patch. I figure if the beans can outgrow the peas and such it will be fine. Unfortunately, it is more of a challenge with the carrots and beets. I spend too much time pulling the tiny pea, oat, and vetch plants from among the even tinier carrots and beets. Lesson learned.

Learning to work with cover crops

The thing about cover crops, is they are very impressive in the growth. I can tell just from pulling a single pea plant that there is a lot going on, and I appreciate the benefits. There will be sections in the garden where I’m going to turn them under earlier than what I would like, but I believe it will still be beneficial. For example, I had one variety of Daikon radishes that bolted in our early hundred-degree heat. I will just turn under the whole section and plant beans this week.

Understanding Cover Crops

The cover crops are definitely a learning experience this year. Already I am considering different ways to implement this living mulch for next season. I will probably plant clover in the pathways to keep down weeds, yet it will stand up to foot traffic. And I won’t plant cover crops where I seed vegetables. I still might put them among the larger plants, though. The look might make me twitch a little bit, but I think the results are going to be worth it. Stay tuned!