Why we plant clover after the corn harvest
Cover crops are the quiet heroes of our crop rotation. Here is what they do for the soil over winter.
As soon as the last sweet corn is picked, we sow a mix of crimson clover and winter rye. By November the field is green again.
What cover crops do
- Roots hold the soil in place through winter storms.
- Clover pulls nitrogen from the air and stores it in the soil.
- In spring we mow it and let it feed next year's crop.
Since we started, the organic matter in our soil has risen from 3.9% to 5.8%, which means it holds far more water in dry summers.