About Cover Crops
Our Organic Cover Crop Mix is a cool-season powerhouse built to rebuild your soil while keeping weeds in check. The legumes, field peas and vetch, fix atmospheric nitrogen, enrich soil biology, and add fertility, while the oats provide quick-growing biomass and structural support for climbing vines. Use it to cover bare beds between plantings, protect soil from erosion, and leave behind a rich, mellow residue that’s easy to work back in.
When to Plant Cover Crop Seeds
Spring Sowing (All Zones):
Plant as soon as soil can be worked and temperatures are cool to mild. Ideal for soil building in spring through early summer.
Late Summer / Fall Sowing (Most Zones):
Sow 6 to 10 weeks before your first hard frost. In many climates, peas and oats will winter-kill while vetch may survive and regrow come spring.
Where to Plant Cover Crop Seeds
A full sun location is best for strong biomass and optimal nitrogen fixation. This mix performs best in well-drained soils; avoid soggy or waterlogged spots.
Ideal for resting beds, crop rotation zones, pathways, and as a living mulch wherever you need soil cover.
How to Plant Cover Crop Seeds
For best nitrogen fixation, inoculate seed with a pea- or vetch-type inoculant, especially if legumes have not been grown in the area recently.
For planting, sow seed ¾ to 1 inch deep, fully covering it with soil. Seed can be broadcast evenly at a rate of five to eight pounds per 1,000 square feet (about 150 to 210 pounds per acre), using higher rates for quicker canopy closure and weed suppression, or lower rates when a lighter, soil-building cover is desired. After broadcasting, lightly rake the seed in, then tamp or roll the area to ensure firm seed-to-soil contact, and water thoroughly. Germination typically occurs within 5 to 14 days in cool to mild conditions with consistent moisture.
How to Care for Cover Crops
Keep the area moist until seedlings are established. This mix is drought-tolerant once up, but steady water boosts biomass.
Skip the nitrogen fertilizer, these legumes make their own. Use light phosphorus/potassium if soil is poor. Added nitrogen will actually decrease the effectiveness of legumes to produce nitrogen. Consider fertilization if the purpose is to grow a cover crop for biomass for weed suppression or forage. If the next crop needs fertilization or pH adjustments, it is possible to add the fertility during cover crop establishment or active growth, especially phosphorus and potassium.
Cover crops may not suppress 100% of weeds, so proactive management is still important. Start by ensuring a clean, weed-free seedbed before planting cover crops, and continue to scout regularly for weed pressure as the cover grows. Perennial weeds can often be pulled by hand, while low-growing annuals may be managed with shallow hoeing at the soil surface or careful flame weeding. Patch any bare spots promptly with mulch or reseed to prevent weeds from establishing. If weeds become a significant problem and cannot be adequately controlled, it may be best to terminate the cover crop early to prevent weed seed development and spread.