Are red beans a rabi crop or a kharif crop?

Cover crops are the hardest working plants in your garden. They suppress weeds, enhance your soil, help control pests and disease, and protect your garden bounty from excessiv…e rain and runoff. Are you a gardener that's looking for a more natural alternative to pesticides and herbicides?

You may want to consider cover crops. Types of cover crops include clover, rye, oats, field peas, wheat, forage turnips, alfalfa, soybeans, sudan grass, and buckwheat. A combination of two or more cover crops is enough to add plenty of healthy nutrients to your soil.

Cover crops have been used since the 1900's to restore the fertility of soil. They release sugar from their root tips which is helpful for cultivating colonies of microorganisms. As the roots dig deeper, so too do the healthy organisms that thrive in the soil.

Early fall is a great time to plant most cover crops. Plant cover crops by using a garden rake to displace the soil and then sprinkle seeds into the worked up area. While cover crops don't require much maintenance, they do need to be watered during times of drought.

Pull up your cover crops before they begin to compete with the crop they were planted to protect. If not, they'll turn into weeds that need to be controlled like everything else. Kill them by cutting up the base of the plant before it flowers.

Cover crops add nutrient density to your garden while protecting it from nature. If planted under the correct conditions and pulled up at the right time, they can help your garden thrive. Cereal rye is one of the few cover crops that can be planted in the late fall in most climates because it's not as sensitive to cold temperatures.