As it is officially the beginning of the fall season, preparing your garden for the winter is the next step to your gardening experience. Once you have harvested your fruits and vegetables, its time to plant cover crops to keep your soil nutritious and fertile for spring planting. Cover crops are plants that are grown during the off season. They help to maintain soil erosion and are great for controlling weeds. Cover crops are not just for the larger scale gardens, any size garden will benefit from a cover crop. Planting a cover crop is not only easy but it is one of the best things you can do for your garden!
The perfect winter cover crop for the Hernando and Citrus areas of Florida is legumes, such as clovers and field peas. Cereal grains such as oats, rye or wheat are also sufficient. Be sure to start your seed planting directly after harvesting.
Creating a cover crop is simple, start by working the soil with a garden rake, sprinkle your seed over the soil and rake it in again. Keep your cover crop watered and mowed down, this will increase the root growth. Before the crop seeds and top growth gets out of control, it is time to kill your crop! Take a weed eater to your crop and than wait a few days. When the leaves and stems start to get dry, start turning the soil. Wait a few more weeks before planting your next crop of vegetables.
Planting your cover crops in between your fruits and vegetables is not only easy, it will make for a much healthier garden for the next season.

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