Garden & Home
Garden Tips
Central Texas gardening advice, two notes a month. Come back and you get the other one.
October · Note 1 of 2
Cover Crops and Soil Care
Resting land sounds like doing nothing, but Jag Singh treats it as active work at Daisy Creek Farms every October. Cover crops protect and enrich the soil through the cooler months, and that quiet investment pays off the moment spring planting returns.
October reminds us that resting soil is still working soil. Cover crops like clover and rye hold nutrients in place and prevent erosion over winter. Sow a cover crop in any bed you won't use until spring. Add a thick layer of leaf mulch to feeding zones. Test soil pH now so you can amend before next season. Your beds are ready to rest and rebuild, so which one will you cover first?