Introduce Cover Crops to Reduce Weeds, Capture Nutrients and Increase Soil Health

By Natalie Dunlap and Charity Nebbe

Farmers see a variety of benefits when using cover crops in their fields and home gardeners can do the same.

“Having living tissue, living plants on the garden the whole year increases soil health, decreases erosion, captures nutrients so that they are being taken up by these plants that are there in the off season or in between plantings during the growing season, so that they're not leaching away or running off,” said Dan Fillius, a horticulture specialist at Iowa State University Extension.

Fall planting

Late August and early September is a great time to plant oats and peas.

“These are both crops that will winter kill, and now's a great chance to let them grow up as big as they can get, while also getting most of your growing season in there,” Fillius said. “So anywhere that is empty right now in the home garden. This could be in a raised bed. It could be in native soil right there at ground level.”