Downloadable Free Cover Crop Growing Guide

Growing Non-GMO Spring Mix Cover Crop Seeds

Broadcast sow from 6 weeks before, or up to, your last frost date. May be grown during the winter months in regions with mild winter temperatures. This mix can be grown anywhere from 30 to 90 days after planting, depending on your garden plans. Be sure to terminate the cover crop at least 2-3 weeks before planting your summer garden crops. We do not recommend planting this cover crop in areas where you are also planning to grow spring peas, leafy greens, or other early spring crops. Planting crops intended for harvesting earlier than 2-3 weeks after terminating a cover crop can mean vital nutrients are “tied up” in the soil due to the decomposition process of the cover crop plant matter.

Terminate your cover crop by tilling, mowing, or “crimping” and covering the growing area. This mix may also winter-kill in zones 1-7 with sustained freezing temperatures when planted in the fall months.

Benefits of the Spring Mix Cover Crop

This mix is specially formulated to improve soil structure and nutrient content, suppress weeds, and improve water retention in your soil. Seeds in this mix are also known to provide benefits such as biofumigation, a natural characteristic that deters soil-borne pests and diseases. Once a pest is found in your growing space, it may return annually as larvae and eggs can survive through the winter season. Growing cover crops and practicing crop rotation is known to help break these pest cycles. With peas and clover incorporated into this cover crop mix, you can also enjoy the benefits of legume plants that will “fix” or transform atmospheric nitrogen into forms that are accessible from the soil.

About the Spring Mix Cover Crop Seeds

This mix can be grown in the fall months to winter-kill in zones 1-7. As a mix of annuals this mix will also complete its growth cycle without becoming a weed.

This mix is also forage-friendly and can safely be grown to benefit foraging animals.

This mix can be grown in no-till gardens. Remember, no-till is a growing practice, with different growers preferring different termination methods, such as mowing or crimping and covering.

This mix is best grown in the spring or mild winter months before planting a summer garden, or for land you plan to let rest for the season. By keeping an area covered that you do not plan to actively grow in, you can prevent soil erosion and improve the soil structure for future growing seasons.

Cover crops need to be terminated 2-3 weeks before growing a crop for harvesting.

Spring Cover Crop Mix

* This mix does not contain any inoculant. We recommend using our Legume Inoculant for healthier development. Mix 0.05 oz of inoculant powder with 0.25 tbsp of water. Roll seeds around the mixture and plant within 12 hours.

Tips From Our Gardeners

"Growing a spring cover crop early in the season can help support garden growth by priming your growing location with natural fertilizer and organic matter. Nitrogen-fixing legume plants, such as the peas and clover included in this mix, can take nitrogen found in the air and pore space of the soil and transform it into a form usable by your garden plants. Grasses like barley are also great for adding biomass that will break down into organic matter that helps form plant structures in your summer garden crops."

- Ashleigh Smith, True Leaf Market Writer

Spring Mix Cover Crop Seeds Per Package:

• 4 oz - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 2,400 Seeds - Covers ~75 square feet
• 1 lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 9,600 Seeds - Covers ~300 square feet
• 5 lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 48,000 Seeds - Covers ~1,600 square feet
• 25 lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 240,000 Seeds - Covers ~8,600 square feet

Non-GMO Spring Mix Cover Crop seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on qualifying orders.