Cover crops make so much sense – they cut fertilizer costs, improve soil health and condition, prevent soil erosion, improve water holding and infiltration capacity, produce nitrogen, and much more. Many cover crops are ALLELOPATHIC, which means they exude chemicals from their roots that suppress the growth of other plants (weeds!) around them.

Cover crops are either LEGUMES (clover, hairy vetch, peas, alfalfa), which convert nitrogen in the air to a form that plants can absorb, or NON-LEGUMES (buckwheat, cereal/small grains, and crucifers like radish, turnip, and mustard) that contribute added organic matter and suppress weeds. Both groups are useful tools in a crop rotation line-up. Often you don’t have to choose one type over the other type but you can use a mixture of different types of cover crops. Peas & oats, rye & vetch, winter peas & triticale, and oats & radish are particularly useful combinations.

When planning which cover crop to plant in the fall, it is also helpful to divide the available species: (1) those that will WINTER-KILL, and not re-grow in the spring, and (2) those that will produce some growth in the fall, go dormant during the winter, and then grow back in the spring.

Annual Ryegrass
Buckwheat
Clovers - Annual
Clover - Balansa
Clover - Crimson
Clovers-Perennial
Clover - Alsike
Clover - Medium Red
Field Peas
Mustard
Oats
Radish
Turnip
Vetch
Winter Peas
Winter Rye
Winter Triticale
Winter Wheat
Planting Date
Until Early Sept
Until Early Sept
Spring - Fall
Spring - Fall
Spring - Fall
Spring - Fall
Spring - Fall
Spring - Fall
Until Early Sept
Spring-Summer
Until Early Sept
Until Early Sept
Spring or Fall
Sept - Oct
Aug - Oct
Aug - Oct
Aug - Oct
Aug - Oct
Rate/AcreBroadcast
30lbs
60lbs
8-15lbs
6-9lbs
12-20lbs
8-15lbs
10lbs
12lbs
100lbs
8-12lbs
100lbs
6-8lbs
5lbs
8-10lbs
100lbs
100-150lbs
100-150lbs
100lbs
Rate/Acre Drill/Plant
30lbs
40lbs
5-8lbs
8-10lbs
6-10lbs
8lbs
10lbs
60lbs
6-8lbs
50lbs
2lbs
6-8lbs
60lbs
75lbs
75lbs
75lbs
Depth
½"
¼" - ½"
½"
½"
½2"
½2"
½"
½"
1"
3/4"
1" - 2½"
¼" - ½"
¼"
¼" - ½"
1"
1" -2"
1" - 2½"
1" - 2"
Over Winters
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes