STRIKING GOLD with GREEN MANURE

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Cover crops also regulate soil temperature, keeping the earth cooler in summer and warmer in winter. By providing an insulating blanket, they allow important soil life to thrive, especially earthworms. The more worms in your garden, the more effective they'll be at creating channels to break up and aerate the soil. And, once that blanket of green is turned under, it returns to the earth an abundance of organic matter essential to earthworms and other soil creatures, which in turn are at the very heart of healthy soil.

Finally, if you want to fertilize your garden naturally, grow cover crops. Legumes such as vetches, alfalfas and clovers can actually transport nitrogen right out of the air we breathe and into the soil, where bacteria can then convert it into a plant-friendly form. Grains and other cover crops also work to replenish the soil, by recycling nutrients normally beyond the reach of other plants. Their roots reach deeply into the subsoil, drawing up valuable minerals and nutrients that are then stored in the plants' tissues. Once the cover crop is turned back into the soil and allowed to decompose, those nutrients gradually become available to future plants.

Choosing Your Cover Crop

Which are the best cover crops to grow? Your choices are limited only by your needs. Do you want cover in the spring, summer, fall or winter? Is your goal to add the most abundant organic matter, tremendous amounts of nitrogen, bring up valuable nutrients from the subsoil or grow a killer crop that suppresses the nastiest of weeds? Where you live, along with your soil and climate conditions, can also play a factor. Ultimately, you'll want a crop that works for you - not one that's going to become a nuisance.

Suggestions for which crops to grow are listed in the chart, " At A Glance: Best Crops for Special Conditions " There are, however, some generalities that can help you decide which covers to grow. First, decide whether you want an annual or perennial. Annuals usually grow fast, are quick to establish, last a season and won't resprout from their roots. Perennials tend to be deeprooting (though some annuals are as well), slow to establish and are great for areas, like orchards and vineyards, where you want a long-term cover.

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