The Benefits of Cover Crops in San Diego Gardens

As summer harvests wrap up in San Diego, now is the perfect time to think about planting cover crops to keep your soil thriving through the cooler months. These “green manure” plants, like clover, winter wheat, annual grasses, and oats, work behind the scenes to prepare your beds for a strong spring season.

Cover crops help prevent erosion by anchoring the soil during winter rains, while legumes like clover, go a step further by fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil, no chemical fertilizers needed. This natural enrichment helps boost the growth of your future crops.

James Hyde, SCCG’s volunteer agronomist (aka “Soil Guru”) recently co-led a SCCG Garden Workshop about soil health.

They also break up compacted soil, add organic matter, and improve moisture retention, especially important here in our drought-prone environment. Their thick growth suppresses weeds and feeds the beneficial microbes that support long-term soil health.

James Hyde, SCCG’s volunteer agronomist, shared “Living roots create living soil. The more time we keep roots in the ground, the richer, more dynamic, and alive our soil becomes. After that, it’s simply us versus the elements: disease, water, temperature, and bugs.”

Planting cover crops is easy! After clearing your summer beds, scatter seeds, water them in, and let nature do the rest. Come early spring, chop them down and turn them into the soil a couple of weeks before planting.

It’s a simple, sustainable way to build healthier soil and get a head start on next season’s success!