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We home gardeners often focus on spring planting. However, the summer months offer a powerful opportunity to improve soil health, suppress weeds, and boost long‑term productivity through the use of superior summer cover crops. Unlike winter cover crops, summer cover crops thrive in heat, tolerate drought, and actively replenish soil during the most biologically active time of year.
My garden currently has three strips of active cover crops just recently established. Strip 1 is pictured below. This area served as the growing space for last winter's garden crops e.g. brassicas cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc., and root crops turnips, radish, beets, and potatoes. Following those harvests, this strip has had several inches of composted cow manure added followed by a thick planting and shredding of Sun Hemp. It currently is planted in Buckwheat and Mustard for a green manure cover crop to be turned under later in September or October. Next spring, it will primarily grow corn as well as other spring veggies.
Strip 2 provided about 500 pounds of onions and potatoes just last May. It was then covered in several inches of composted cow manure and just recently planted in Sun Hemp. Sun Hemp is the superstar of summer cover crops adding Nitrogen at a rate of about 150 pounds per acre. The Sun Hemp will be 8-10 feet tall by the end of August at which time it will be shredded and turned under to make the seed bed for this winter's crops.
Strip 3 has provided about 25 bushels of fresh corn this spring and summer, gallons of several varieties of beans and peas, and hundreds of tomatoes (along the trellis.) It has also received composted cow manure and is currently planted in Sun Hemp and regenerating cow peas. This strip will house the onion and potato crops for next year as well as several bean varieties.
Summer cover crops offer us home gardeners powerful, low-maintenance tools to rapidly improve soil health, suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and enhance biodiversity. In warm climates like mine, summer conditions are harsh on garden soil, these crops turn the hottest months into a period of regeneration rather than idle decline. By incorporating species such as cowpeas, sun hemp, and buckwheat, gardeners can build richer, more resilient soil that supports stronger harvests year after year completely without the need for any synthetic fertilizers.
My garden currently has three strips of active cover crops just recently established. Strip 1 is pictured below. This area served as the growing space for last winter's garden crops e.g. brassicas cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc., and root crops turnips, radish, beets, and potatoes. Following those harvests, this strip has had several inches of composted cow manure added followed by a thick planting and shredding of Sun Hemp. It currently is planted in Buckwheat and Mustard for a green manure cover crop to be turned under later in September or October. Next spring, it will primarily grow corn as well as other spring veggies.
Strip 2 provided about 500 pounds of onions and potatoes just last May. It was then covered in several inches of composted cow manure and just recently planted in Sun Hemp. Sun Hemp is the superstar of summer cover crops adding Nitrogen at a rate of about 150 pounds per acre. The Sun Hemp will be 8-10 feet tall by the end of August at which time it will be shredded and turned under to make the seed bed for this winter's crops.
Strip 3 has provided about 25 bushels of fresh corn this spring and summer, gallons of several varieties of beans and peas, and hundreds of tomatoes (along the trellis.) It has also received composted cow manure and is currently planted in Sun Hemp and regenerating cow peas. This strip will house the onion and potato crops for next year as well as several bean varieties.
Summer cover crops offer us home gardeners powerful, low-maintenance tools to rapidly improve soil health, suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and enhance biodiversity. In warm climates like mine, summer conditions are harsh on garden soil, these crops turn the hottest months into a period of regeneration rather than idle decline. By incorporating species such as cowpeas, sun hemp, and buckwheat, gardeners can build richer, more resilient soil that supports stronger harvests year after year completely without the need for any synthetic fertilizers.
