Raised beds are a common way to grow edible and floral plants when either space is limited, bending down to the surface of the native soil is a challenge, when the present soil is not healthy/ compacted or non-existent (ex. concrete), or used for simply aesthetic purposes (window boxes). For more information, see HGIC 1257, Raised Beds
What should you do with raised beds in the winter after the edible and floral fall crops are done, or for those couple months between summer and fall plantings? Plant cover crops, of course! Cover crops help fulfill many important niches for increasing the health of the soil:
No space is too small for utilizing cover crops. Cover crops can be used in mounded beds, walled-off raised beds, raised beds on stands, and even window boxes!
Keys to cover crop success in raised beds:
Gardeners will be most interested in fall cover crops for their raised beds. Cover Crops for the Fall is a good place to start. Navigate to the Southern Cover Crop Resource Guide to learn more about different cover crops to plant for which season, and use the individual cover crop information sheets to learn more about main benefits and concerns, seeding rates, when to plant and terminate, and other information. This website is a work in progress, so please select the “mountains” region for “coastal” until the coastal section is populated. For the most part, the information is the same, except that planting dates are two weeks earlier and termination dates are two weeks later for the coastal region. Many raised bed gardeners may also be interested in using cover crops in their raised beds for wildlife benefits (ex. For pollinators and birds). Navigate to Integrating Cover Crops for Ecosystem Services to learn about which
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