Cover crops are a game-changer for any vegetable garden, but what if they could feed both your soil and you? Enter edible cover crops—the perfect blend of practicality and productivity. These plants improve your soil while giving you an extra harvest along the way.
Why Grow Edible Cover Crops?
Traditional cover crops are grown to enrich the soil, prevent weeds, and reduce erosion. Edible cover crops do all that and provide fresh greens, beans, or roots for your kitchen. It’s a win-win!
Best Edible Cover Crops
Fava Beans – These nitrogen-fixing legumes improve the soil and produce delicious, protein-packed beans.
Peas – Field peas (like Austrian winter peas) add nitrogen while offering tender pea shoots for salads and stir-fries.
Daikon Radish – Breaks up compacted soil and gives you crisp, spicy radishes to enjoy raw or cooked.
Buckwheat – A fast-growing soil builder with edible, nutritious greens and seeds that can be ground into flour.
Mustard Greens – Helps suppress pests and weeds while providing spicy greens packed with vitamins.
How to Use Them in Your Garden
Plant edible cover crops in the off-season or between your main crops. Harvest leaves, shoots, or roots as needed, then chop and turn the remaining plants into the soil before planting your next round of veggies.
By growing edible cover crops, you’re making the most of your garden space—feeding both your plants and yourself. Why not give them a try this season?