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| A Crimson Clover cover crop In a landscape bed |
The clover—a legume—is in full bloom which is the best time to cut it to receive full advantage of the nitrogen it harvests from the atmosphere and for two other reasons: First, if it is cut before it’s in full bloom it may resprout and compete with new crops planted there; second, if we wait until it seeds out it could become a weed next year unless we want it to reappear in that location.
Another option we had to consider is whether to cut it or pull it. Cutting is the best option because the decomposing roots will add nutrition to the soil and will leave pathways for air and water to enter. We decided to pull it up in places where it was infringing on pathways and we didn’t want it to grow there anymore. In addition we decided to cut it and drop it in place or add it to our compost bin in areas where we would be planting new crops. Finally, we let quite a bit of it continue to grow and go to seed in areas where we would like to see it again next spring. When the seed heads have matured, we will cut it also and drop it in place. So there are a lot of options for terminating your cover crops depending on your future plans for the area in which they’re growing.
Other cover crops such as grains, brassicas, and mixtures can be treated in the same way. Summer cover crops we’ll be planting include buckwheat and several varieties of cowpeas. We hope you’ll consider planting cover crops in your garden. They are very beneficial in improving your soil, discouraging weeds, attracting good bugs, and preventing erosion and leaching of nutrition elements. They are the best way to prepare your soil for its new crop.
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| Crimson Clover in full bloom |
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| Crimson Clover with seed developing but not yet mature |
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