Don’t garden naked! Get your garden under the covers this winter

When you think about it, it seems obvious: soil is mean to be covered.

What happens when you have a bare patch of soil? It won’t take long until plants start to cover that bare spot. But without a little guidance, those plants will most likely be weeds. After spending the summer enjoying the fruits (or vegetables!) of your labor, the last thing you want it for your well-tended garden to become covered with weeds this fall and winter.

One great option to help keep those weeds at bay is to plant cover crops in your garden. Ashland County farmers have been utilizing cover crops for years to help improve soil health and water quality (you probably notice the vibrant green color of those cover crop fields in the spring when everything else is still brown and dead). But you may not have ever considered the benefits of using cover crops in your garden.

Planting cover crops in the late summer of early fall is an inexpensive way to build soil health in your garden. These cover crops, whether they be grains, brassicas, grasses or legumes, will grow during the fall and winter, and you can till them under in the spring to increase your soil’s organic matter.

During their off-season growth, they help reduce soil erosion and compaction and capture excess nutrients. Strong root structures can help loosen heavy soils to improve soil and water penetration, and legumes like clovers can add nitrogen to the soil. 

This year, Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District is offering a garden cover crop seed sale to help local garden enthusiasts take advantage of these benefits. We will be offering two 1-pound seed mixes: a late cover mix and a fall cover mix. Each 1-pound mix will sell for $8 and will cover approximately 200-300 square feet of garden ground.

The late cover mix is ideal to plant any time from mid August to mid October. It’s a simple mix designed to plant with a minimal window prior to the first frost but still provides all the benefits we love in a cover crop. This combination will loosen topsoil, protect soil from erosion and nutrient loss, suppress weeds, and in the spring will provide mulch and food for soil micro and macro-organisms that are critical to maintaining a healthy soil. This mix is winter-hardy and will continue to grow in the spring, so you’ll want to have a plan to kill it in the spring, whether that be through tillage or herbicide before it gets out of hand. It contains cereal rye, oilseed, radish, hairy vetch and crimson clover.

Crimson clover is a legume cover crop that is part of our late cover crop mix this year.

Our fall cover mix is designed to be planted earlier in the season, from mid August to mid September. This more complex mix is designed to winter kill, leaving a surface mulch in the spring requiring little to no management prior to planting. This mix is ideal for cool-season vegetable spaces and will loosen topsoil, protect soil from erosion and nutrient loss and suppress weeds. The remaining surface residue will provide food for soil micro and macro-organisms that are crucial for healthy soils. This mis contains cow pea, oilseed radish, ming bean, pearl millet, oats and Ethiopian radish.

Order forms are available at the Ashland SWCD office (110 Cottage Street, Ashland) or online at https://www.ashlandswcd.com/2023-garden-cover-crop-seed-sale The order deadline is August 15, and orders can be picked up at the SWCD office from 8 am until 4 pm September 5-8.

Before planting your cover crop, rake the garden area smooth and remove any debris or large stones, then broadcast your seed. Again, each 1-pound bag will cover approximately 200-300 square feet. Lightly rake your soil again, then water in your cover crops with your hose with a list mist. If you want to give your cover crops and extra boost, you can add a little fertilizer (10-10-10) at no more than 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet; if using the late cover crop mix, use a lower nitrogen content fertilizer such as 5-10-10.

In the spring, as soon as the ground is dry enough, till or turn under your cover crop. Give the crop plenty of time to start to decompose (at least 2-3 weeks) before planting your garden. Do not allow your cover crops to go to seed, or they may become unwelcome weeks you’ll spend next summer battling. Cut down the plants when or just before they flower; managing your cover crop is just as important as managing your summer garden harvest.