Down the Garden Path: Cover crops for the home vegetable garden

Cover crops can improve soil fertility while helping manage weeds, pests, and diseases. Cover crops improve soil quality, which can lead to improved harvests while also providing benefits to the ecosystem. However, cover crops are not intended to be harvested. They can be planted between vegetable growing seasons when the garden would otherwise be fallow, such as in early fall after the last harvest. Perennial cover crops also can be used as living mulch, growing at the same time as vegetable crops in otherwise open areas, such as between rows.BenefitsWeed suppression: Establishing cover crops before weeds emerge and set seed can decrease weed establishment. Some cover crops also can suppress weed growth by secreting chemicals (allelochemicals) from their roots that inhibit weed growth.Improving soil structure and fertility: Cover crops improve soil structure and fertility by increasing organic matter and adding biomass below the soil surface. Adding compost in the fall can provide sim