Cover Crops for Vegetable Growers
Newsletter articles
Early summer
Mid and late summer
Late summer legumes
Early fall
Fall
Early spring
Cover crop information
Annual
ryegrass
Buckwheat
Sudangrass
Mustard, spring
Mustard, fall (includes radish, rape, kale)
Red
clover
Hairy vetch
Oats
Wheat (includes spelt, triticale)
Rye
Research
Buckwheat
planting date
Buckwheat
field preparation
Fertility
Cover crops for fall
By late September and October, most vegetables are harvested and there is time to think about cover crops. But it is also too late to establish the best choices, which are planted earlier in September.
Wheat will provide a small amount of growth, but generally little soil protection in the winter, and will be prone to frost heaving in the spring. It may have value as a nurse crop for frost-seeded medium red clover.
Rye is the cover crop that will provide winter soil protection when sown this late in the season. It will use any mild fall days to develop a root system that will hold saturated soil together at snowmelt. It must be carefully managed in the spring to prevent excessive growth and suppression of crops.
If fall is getting on, and there is crop residue in the field, it may be preferable to frost seed mustard or medium red clover very early in spring.