Farm News, Jan 16, 2026. Adrian

Why the fuss about cover crops? Bear with me, I'm going to nerd out:

Cover crops, as opposed to cash crops, are plants that are grown exclusively for the benefit of the soil, and which are not harvested for sale. On our farm, most of our cover cropping happens over the winter (though we're making an effort to increase our summertime cover crops as well). This means that we're using plants that are well adapted to survive the cold, namely, wheat, clover, and winter peas. The clover and winter peas are legumes (bean family), which means that they pull nitrogen out of the air and fix it on little nodules on their roots. These nodules will break down into the soil when the plants die. The wheat is a grass, which is a proficient builder of plant material (ultimately organic matter) both above and below the ground. There are many many other plants that work great as cover crops (oats, rye, hairy vetch, buckwheat, millet, sorghum Sudan grass, sunflowers, sun hemp, and tillage radish just to name a few), but the seed for these ones are readily available to us through a local source and the mix has done quite well overwintering. In the spring, we'll terminate the cover crops and let them break down in the field. But why bother?

Cover crops have one of the most noteworthy resumes I've ever read (and I've been reading a lot of them lately - it's hiring season). For starters, keeping the soil covered is really important. Bare soil readily erodes, and exposure to UV rays depletes populations of beneficial microbial life in the soil. But if it were just a thing of covering the soil, we'd use a tarp, because that would be much simpler. Having a living, growing cover means that photosynthesis (best superpower in my opinion) happens. Plants function under an economy of reciprocity and bounty (if you haven't already read Robin Wall Kimmerer, do so!), so when they photosynthesize they make more carbon sugars than they need themselves. The excess is excreted into the soil through their roots. This creates a sugary hot spot in the root zone (or rhizosphere) where the aforementioned beneficial microbes come to feed. Now, microbes, to some extent, are sheep, so as long as they're being fed yummy carbon sugars they'll do whatever the plants tell them to do. Namely, bring the plants nutrients. That's a whole different topic though, I'd better stay on track with cover crops. Since cover crops are rampantly growing and photosynthesizing, they are stimulating biological life in the soil, which means that lots of nutrients will be available for the following crops that we'll all be eating. I guess a shorter way of saying all of that is that cover crops help to increase the nutrient density of the soil and in turn, the vegetables that grow in it.

There's a whole section of the cover crop resume that I'm going to skip over so that I don't lose too many readers, but it includes mitigating salt build up in the soil, deterring problematic microorganisms (such as bad nematodes), breaking up soil compaction, and in some instances adjusting soil pH. The really key point, however, is that cover crops build soil organic matter. Soil organic matter (SOM) has incredible and myriad benefits. Like the carbon sugars created in photosynthesis, organic matter is carbon which microbes feed on. So increased SOM means an increased microbial community. Both a high level of SOM and a high level of microbial activity (especially fungal) create soil structure. This is a good thing because it promotes airflow (think back to the legume roots that are extracting nitrogen out of the air) and water management. I've heard a healthy, well-structured soil compared to a sieve: if there is a heavy flow of water (excess rain) it will pass through the sieve; the soil will drain and not become too muddy. But if there's just a misting of water (a small rain in the midst of a drought), the mesh of the sieve will hold onto the water particles. In other words, SOM helps to keep moisture consistently available to plants, even in situations when rain or irrigation is not consistent. Obviously, this is a huge asset in this now unstable climate.

It's generally accepted that 3 to 6% SOM is the target goal for healthy soils. In soil tests we conducted last year, our organic matter levels ranged from 5 to 9%. Thank you, cover crops! And no-till practices, and leaf mulch, and compost. And thank you to the whole microbial community that tirelessly works to produce the best possible food for us humans. It is healthy soil that creates nutrition, flavor, and beauty in the plants that we grow. So cover cropping, for us, is a practice of giving back to the soil, of feeding it, of buying into the economy of reciprocity and abundance for all.

A quick note on winter growing: especially in unheated structures, in this time of the year when the light level is below ten hours a day, it takes a really long time for plants to grow. This means that our market selection and depth are both still fairly limited. Thank you for hanging with us as we wait for the earth to tilt back towards the sun. There will be more soon!