Cover Cropping

Well this is exciting, the clover is coming up. Planted the last week of September, it is crimson clover (I hope), which is the non-invasive one that's easy to keep under control.

NW Garden Theory states that a rapidly growing cover crop that is planted in the fall will out-compete fall and spring weeds, protect the soil from compaction caused by heavy rains, and will help dry out and loosen the soil come springtime. Even better if its a legume-like clover-that fixes nitrogen.

That's a good theory, but previous cover crops have never survived the winter. Or maybe they've never sprouted in time to survive the winter? I can't remember, so we'll try again this year, with crossed fingers.

Oh, and those are some extra sweet onion starts in the background. By planting in the spring we got 1 lb+ sweet onion bulbs this summer. By planting in the fall we're supposed to get even better returns!