GROWER'S LIBRARY

Learn about the advantages of using cover crops, investing in your gardens and fields to reap future dividends of healthier, more productive cash crops.

In many climates and zones, winter is a good time to grow cover crops, to improve the soil tilth, prevent erosion, and provide forage for wildlife and domesticated animals. Here are some options and recommendations on winter cover crops, from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Develop a plan for springtime cover cropping with these simple guidelines from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

An introduction to the primary benefits of using a variety of grass–legume combinations for multispecies cover-cropping on your farm.

Plant buckwheat for a quick, easy, warm-season weed-control cover crop. It additionally serves as an insectary plant, and as a good interim set-up crop between spring and fall plantings. Here are some tips for getting a buckwheat crop up and growing, ahead of the weeds.

A learning resource page for our introductory webinar on cover cropping for field and garden, presented by Johnny's Farm Operations Manager Collin Thompson.

Farm Seed & Cover Crop Comparison Chart. Compare the following criteria / purposes: Seed Type, Sowing Season, Minimum Germination Temperature, Hardiness Zone/Frost-Sensitivity, Growth Rate, Seed Sowing Rate/Square Area; Seeding Depth, Nitrogen Fixation, Ability to Attract & Sustain Beneficial Organisims, Compaction Control, Erosion Control, Weed Suppression, Green Manure, Forage, and Biomass (Organic Matter).

This page on Farm Seed & Cover Crop Uses highlights the top 10 applications and benefits of incorporating this crop line into your system, from growing your own inputs and forage to attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Key primary uses include Green Manures, Erosion Control, Nitrogen Fixation, Compaction Control, Weed Suppression, Pest Management, Forage, Biomass, and Beneficial Insect Support.

"Which cover crop should I plant?.. Where and when do I plant it?.. When and how should it be terminated?.. What do I put in there next?" Here's help with a 5-step decision-making process from Jason Lilley, our local Cooperative Extension Sustainable Agriculture Professional, and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

A crop-by-crop guide to the best types and varieties of vegetables for winter growing success, ranked by level of difficulty in winter production, from the research team at Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Use protected cropping, high tunnels, greenhouses, bird net, and other protected culture methods to maximize your return on growing fruit. Here's the basic information you need to get started.

A learning resource page for our webinar on Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour, award-winning author and four-season vegetable gardener in Nova Scotia.