I don’t normally add article’s from other sources but I thought that this one was worth making an exception for.
The planting of cover crops is very beneficial to organic gardening, but it is often one of those tasks that we just never find time to do. Cover crops have a variety of benefits, like protecting the soil from erosion caused by wind and rains, they can attract beneficial pollinating insects to your yard and garden, aid in breaking up compacted soils like clay, improve a soils fertility, improve a soils structure, and are an excellent choice of mulch for preventing weed growth that compete with your crops.
Cover crops and green manures are both terms that are commonly used interchangeably, but are slightly difference. Cover crops are primarily planted for erosion control and as a mulch to suppress weed growth. While green manures are planted primarily to replenish nutrients back into the soil that a previous crop has depleted, predominately nitrogen. Both types of crops are turned under to add organic material to the soil, and improve a soils structure.
Most gardeners know that adding organic matter to their gardens will improve the soils structure. Commonly this is done by adding compost, and manures annually to the garden. For some, these forms of soil amendments can be difficult to find, or they may not have enough resources to compost the quantity that they need for there gardens. Growing cover crops can eliminate the problem of having to import these organic soil amendments needed to benefit your garden soils structure.
The adding of organic matter to your garden soil, improves the soils structure, increases water retention, improves drainage, and improves aeration. It also provides a food sources for the vast community of life that naturally lives in soil, like earthworms, other organisms and microorganisms. Increasing the soils biological activity helps to keep the soil healthy by enhancing decomposition. Keeping the beneficial microorganisms in the soil well nourished also allow them to compete better against other organisms that cause diseases.
Growing cover crops is a natural method of improving the fertility of your garden soil by supplying a food source for the life forms that exist in soil naturally, and work hard for you to keep the soil healthy. The soils biology is a very important part of organic gardening, and the local ecosystem. Helping nature to keep this ecosystem in balance will provide you with a healthier and more productive crop, while at the same time improve the quality of the environment you live in.
A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.
John Yazo
http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com
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