Does your garden soil need a boost? Sow cover crops in your garden and youโll improve your yields.
Just the other day, I discovered a half-empty bottle of Lucozade placed in the euphorbia trough by one of the scaffolders. An architect friend joked, โAre you sure thatโs Lucozade?โ giving me a new perspective.
All this is to say, the garden is in disarray. But thereโs a lot to be said for negligence; coming back from a trip, I spotted a sunflower growing in the back corner.
This week, though, some necessary firefighting is underway. Being six months pregnant, Iโve hired a professional gardener to tackle invasive plants like a prickly weed and robinia saplings from the neighbourโs tree, but keeping desirable plants. Next, in the open patches, Iโll be sowing green manure.
Cover crops act like heroes when it comes to improving soil health.
My gardening friend Claire has previously discussed green manure, as they play a key role in crop rotation for edible gardens. But, the only things Iโm harvesting from my garden right now are a few foraged apples and some woody herbs.
My garden goals are modest and consistent โ and enhancing soil health is top of the list. For those wondering, the scaffold is for roof repairs, and the garden boundaries are still wobbly, but the neighbours are on board with replacing them.
Cover crops are like superheroes for your gardenโs foundation. Bare soil invites weeds, which is why unwanted plants pop up. Yet by sowing fast-growing plants, you can control weeds, bring in bees, shelter beneficial insects, and enrich the soil with nutrients.
Green manure plants may not look exciting โ though some, like certain lupin varieties and a flowering legume, have pretty flowers โ but their purpose is to thrive rather than look decorative. Once established, you can dig them into the soil, chop them for mulch, or leave them on the surface for worms to incorporate. The real magic happens underground.
Autumn is perfect for sowing these cold-season plants. My selection includes forage rye, great for clay soil, a nitrogen-lifter, vetch, and beans that aerate soil.
It feels rewarding in sowing something knowing itโs temporary โ on the surface, anyway.
