Growing Cover Crops in the Home Garden The tail end of the growing season, when you’re putting your garden to bed for the offseason, is a perfect time to start a cover crop. And it’s pretty much as easy as sprinkling some seeds around and walking away. The cover crop Read more
About Each Cover Crop Cover Crops are one of the best things you can do for your soil, but how do you choose which one is best for your unique situation? Here’s some information about the most common cover crops to help get you started. Grasses for Winter (in order Read more
Purchasing Cover Crop Seed Once you know how much you need, purchase your cover crop from one of several options: You can purchase most cover crop seeds from local stores. Smaller, mom-and-pop stores that also sell farm and animal keeping products (like feed and feed and watering containers) or local Read more
Planting cover crops is one of the best things you can do for your soil, but how do you choose which one is best for your unique situation? Choosing a Cover Crop Since there are so many options, choosing a cover crop is kind of like picking out clothing: How Read more
In the tables below, however, I include planting rates in pounds per 100 ft.2 (~10m2) and 1,000 ft.2 (~100m2)—instead of only in pounds per acre, as is typical—since those sizes are much closer to their actual sizing and easier to convert for home gardeners. I’ll leave this as a note Read more
What’s the Best Mulch? If done correctly, most fruit and vegetable plants are their own best mulch during the growing season—spaced perfectly for plants to not only have plenty of room to meet their full potential but also shade and protect the soil with their barely-touching foilage. As an additional Read more
Adjusting Mulch Timing and Thickness to Create Perfect Soil Microclimates Using the suggestions for cool- and warm-season plants as a starting point, gardeners can also make adjustments to fit each crop based on your current and predicted soil moisture and weather. Depending on the crop and time of the year, Read more
Mulching Cool- and Warm-Season Plants Different plants prefer different growing conditions. In general, cool-season plants like cool and quite moist soil, and warm-season plants like warmer and, often, a little drier soil. Mulch each accordingly, taking into account the soil temperature and soil moisture at each time of the season Read more
Mulch: The Powerhouse of Conserving Soil Moisture Giving your plants the right amount of water and watering regularly are not the same thing—at least they don’t have to be. Your plants having the right amount of water simply means that the soil stays evenly moist. The easiest way to keep Read more
Mulching for the Season During the Growing Season: Temperature and Moisture During the growing season, then, think of mulch as a moisture and temperature regulator for your soil. Use it to regulate your soil’s moisture and temperature like you use the thickness or absence of a raincoat or winter jacket Read more