I’m a big believer in cover cropping, even in a home garden. Especially in a home garden. Whereas many people simply mulch their beds in fall and call it a day, I like to grow a nutritious crop that not only improves my soil over winter but provides a delicious harvest as a bonus.
Cover crops have a lot of good things going for them. They control weeds, fix nitrogen (through a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria), produce lots of organic matter, protect the soil from erosion, and scavenge nutrients from deeper soil layers that other crops can’t access.
Their life cycle is rather short, as cover crops are typically cut down and used (by being incorporated into the soil or left to rot in place) before they produce fruits or seeds. But that doesn’t mean you can’t graze on them in the meantime!
Here are six cover crops you can eat all year long.
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1. Austrian winter peas (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense)
Austrian winter peas are my absolute favorite cover crop to grow because it’s exceptionally cold-hardy (surviving down to 10°F) and it produces masses of sweet, tender greens that taste just like peas. You can harvest pea shoots every week for a fresh leafy salad and still have plenty left over to return to the soil. (A good rule of thumb is to harvest no more than a third of any cover crop.)
Austrian winter peas should be incorporated into the soil soon after they begin to flower. The roots will release nitrogen into the soil as they decompose. The flowers are also edible, and if you decide to let the plants mature for their pods, you can cut the foliage down and leave them in place to use as a mulch.
2. Fava beans (Vicia faba)
You’re going to see a lot of legumes on this list, because their natural nitrogen-fixing abilities cannot be beat. And a fava bean cover crop is right up there with the amount of nitrogen it can add to the soil! This hardy legume (able to withstand temperatures down to 15°F) performs best if it’s inoculated with the correct bacteria.
Once they start growing, they produce abundant foliage with a silky texture and sweet, bean-y flavor. Fava leaves (and fava flowers) can be eaten raw or cooked, or even turned into pesto. Harvest them right up until the flowering stage, then incorporate the plants into the soil before they form beans.
It’s hard to find fava bean seeds in bulk for cover cropping, but Territorial Seed (one of my go-to seed suppliers) usually has them in stock year-round.
3. Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)
Also known as black-eyed peas, cowpeas are heat-tolerant, drought-resistant legumes that grow well in sandy soils and poor soils, making them an excellent option for people with challenging growing conditions. Cut them down when they start to flower. As the roots decompose in place, they’ll release their stored nitrogen into the soil for the next crop to use.
Cowpeas are highly productive plants with edible leaves and flowers (not to mention edible pods and beans). When picked young, the leaves are tender enough to eat raw and have a sweet, mild flavor. I also like them stir-fried or added to soup in the last few minutes of cooking.
4. Pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan)
Pigeon peas are short-lived perennials in USDA zones 9 and above, but in colder climates, they can be grown as annuals. These low-maintenance plants can stretch several feet tall, love hot sunny days, and thrive on little water, so they’re well-suited to late spring plantings when other peas start to fade.
As a cover crop, pigeon peas produce quite a bit of organic matter (in addition to their nitrogen-fixing ability). They’re a long-season plant, typically maturing in 120 to 140 days, which means you have plenty of time to harvest their leaves before they develop pods.
I’d say it’s an acquired taste though; pigeon pea leaves, while completely edible, have a strong, sort of spicy flavor that’s very different from the peas themselves (which are rich and nutty).
5. Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Barley is a cereal crop with soil-building benefits. It provides lots of green manure and its deep, fibrous roots help improve soil structure. Barley is also heat- and drought-tolerant. In USDA zones 8 and above, it overwinters if planted in fall. In colder climates, it’ll die back with the first freeze but can be left on the soil as mulch.
Young barley leaves are edible and can be tossed into a salad mix. You can also juice the leaves like wheatgrass, or take it a step further and dehydrate the juiced barley grass to create an antioxidant-rich powder (for adding to smoothies and other drinks).
6. Daikon radishes (Raphanus sativus)
Daikon is a type of winter radish that you’ve probably heard of. What you might know, however, is that certain varieties of daikons were bred for tillage (hence the term tillage radishes).
As a cover crop, the extra thick, deep roots break up hard, compacted soil. Tillage radishes also scavenge any residual nitrogen left in the soil by the previous crop (so the nutrients won’t be washed away). Once the plants are cut down, they return the nitrogen to the soil for the next crop to use.
Daikons can survive lows of 20°F to 25°F, so if your winters are colder, expect them to die back (though you can leave the roots and leaves in place to decompose and build up your soil).
If you’ve never tried winter radish greens, you are in for a treat! The leaves are tender and mild, and I use them the same way I use chard. Young leaves can be eaten raw, while older (larger) leaves are delicious in soups, stews, and sautes.
While you can sow any type of daikon seed for cover, tillage radishes are ideal because they’re sold in bulk. (Outside Pride is my go-to supplier for this.)
7. Mustards (Brassica spp.)
Mustard is a popular cover crop for its rapid growth, nutrient scavenging ability (particularly when there’s too much nitrogen in the soil), and biofumigant properties. While there are specific varieties used as cover crops (such as those that help control root-knot nematodes), you can actually use any mustard variety as cover.
Cut them down in spring or summer (before they go to seed) and incorporate them into the soil before you plant your next crop.
Common options include yellow mustard, Chinese mustard, arugula, kale, collards, and turnips—yes, you can mass broadcast all of these seeds as a cover crop! This is a good way to use up older brassica seeds too; just mix them all together and toss them over the soil.
You can eat the leafy greens on all brassicas, and depending on your climate, some of them will even overwinter (especially with a lightweight or midweight frost cloth for protection).
