It's best to know what you'd like to get out of your cover crops before selecting the ones you'd like to plant. Here are two charts to help you achieve your cover cropping goals. After reviewing the charts, check out our "Notes" section for more nuanced info.
Fall Cover Crop Planting Chart: Seeding dates, rates, and basic info.
Fall Cover Crop Use Chart: Use to help decide which crop fits in with your fall and spring needs.
Know which crop is right for you? Shop our cover crops here.
- Weed Suppression: For winter-kill fall cover crops, the weed choking happens in the fall. Over wintering cover-crops put on most growth in the early spring, making them effective at choking out those weeds.
- Spring Use: Most of the benefit of the over-wintering cover crops occurs in the spring. They put on a lot of growth in April. Try to put those crops in areas where you will be transplanting in late May. The timing works well for tomatoes, peppers, winter squash and later plantings of brassicas.
- Resting the Soil: Looking to rest an area for a season? When seeded in the fall, rye and red clover will put on a lot of vigorous growth in the spring. You can leave that crop in, and even mow it on a tall setting and it will regrow. Just be sure to catch it BEFORE it flowers.