Best Cover Crop For Sandy Soil (2024 Update)

As the garden season comes to a close, it is important to consider cover cropping as a practice to revitalize the soil. Even small gardens can benefit from the use of cover crops, also known as "green manures". The constant tilling, weeding, harvesting, and foot traffic of most home gardens destroy the soil structure over time, making it difficult for plants to grow.

Gardeners can easily help improve soil tilth and subsequent plant growth by planting cover crops in vacant spaces instead of leaving them bare. Gardenway cover crop seed is an excellent choice for this purpose. It has a fast growth rate and easy establishment, making it a perfect choice for gardeners who want to see quick results.

Gardenway cover crop seed is a mixture of triticale, peas, oats, vetch, annual ryegrass, and crimson clover. These seeds work together to enrich the soil with nutrients, organic matter, and nitrogen. This powerful combination can help improve the overall health of the soil and promote strong plant growth.

After the cover crop has grown, gardeners have the option to till it into the soil or cut it off and let it decompose. This creates a natural fertilizer that can be used to nourish the soil for future growing seasons. Gardenway cover crop seed is easy to use and sow, with a recommended seeding rate of 4 lbs for every 1000 square feet of garden space.

When it comes to securing landscape fabric or irrigation piping, having the right staples is crucial. If you have soft, sandy soil, using standard 6 inch staples may not be enough to keep your fabric or piping in place. That's why Sandbaggy offers 9 inch landscape staples designed specifically for soft soil.

Constructed from 11 gauge steel, these staples are strong enough to pierce commercial ground cloth and anchor weed barrier to the ground. The extra 3 inches of length on these staples make them ideal for use in soft soil, ensuring they will hold up and keep your landscaping secure.

Sandbaggy is the #1 best selling brand of landscape staples on the internet, with over 25 million staples installed across the country. Customers love these staples, with one reviewer stating they "can't landscape without them." Another customer praised the "thick heavy-duty staples" that "stand up to the toughest jobs."

Each pack of 1000 landscape staples is sub-packed in plastic bags for easy installation and reduced packaging waste. These staples are not only great for securing landscape fabric and weed barrier, but also for installing artificial turf, sod, drip tubing, bird netting, and more.

Choose Sandbaggy Extra Long 9 Inch Landscape Staples for Soft Soil for a reliable and effective solution to your landscaping needs.

Fava beans, also known as broad beans, field beans, and Windsor beans (the variety for human consumption), have been around since the 4th century. Although this particular type of fava bean is not for human consumption, it is a hardy perennial that is grown as an annual and is often used during crop rotation. This specific bean is typically utilized as a cover crop to preserve the soil and reduce weed growth. After the crops are harvested, they are plowed under to invigorate the soil with nitrogen and organic nutrients.

It is important to note that our beans are forage quality and not intended for human consumption. These beans prefer cooler climates and should be sown at a rate of one ounce of seed per 4-10 foot row. When planting fava bean seeds, they should be placed 1-2 inches deep and 3-6 inches apart. It is recommended to space the rows 12-30 inches apart for optimal growth.

If you're looking for a reliable and hardy cover crop to improve the health of your soil, fava beans are an excellent choice. With their ability to reduce weed growth and invigorate the soil with essential nutrients, they are a great addition to any crop rotation plan. Remember to keep in mind that our fava beans are forage quality and not suitable for human consumption.

Forage brassica is a highly resilient plant that can withstand even the harshest winter frosts, with the ability to tolerate temperatures as low as -15C. This versatile plant is commonly used in deer food plots and livestock grazing. One type of forage brassica, known as Dwarf Essex Rape, is an especially fast-growing and heat, cold and drought tolerant option that produces large, flat leaves that can grow up to 20 inches in length and 15 inches in width. This plant can reach a height of up to four feet and contains 18-20% crude protein, making it an excellent source of nutrition for livestock.

After a frost, the sugar content in the Rape plant becomes more concentrated, making it especially attractive to deer. Additionally, this plant is cold-tolerant, allowing for grazing or harvesting late into the fall and winter months.

Rapeseed is also an effective winter cover crop, with deep tap roots that help break up soil compaction and scavenge for nutrients deep within the soil profile. This plant produces a significant amount of biomass, making it an excellent option for green manure.

Rapeseed is increasingly being used in crop rotations and cover crops due to its adaptability to various soil types and climates. It establishes quickly, suppresses weed growth, and helps reduce soil erosion. A seeding rate of 8-10 lbs per acre is recommended for optimal growth, and a neutral pH between 5.5 and 8.3 is preferred. Rapeseed is highly responsive to nitrogen, and may require two applications if planted alone. However, if planted with legumes, a single application of nitrogen at planting may suffice.

If you're looking for an easy-to-establish ground cover plant, Dichondra Repens might just be what you need. This plant is a perennial that thrives in USDA Zones 7-11 and has a prostrate or creeping growth habit with circular leaves. It is a fast-growing, warm-season ground cover that grows very close to the ground, usually not exceeding 2 inches in height.

What's great about Dichondra Repens is that it will keep its green color during winter temperatures as low as 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit with only slight leaf browning. It's a low-maintenance plant that never needs to be mowed, making it a perfect lawn alternative. When mowed low, it establishes a thick, dense carpet look that's perfect for landscaping areas where no maintenance is needed.

The broad, almost circular leaves of Dichondra Repens are similar in appearance to clover. It has a bright green color and a very good feel underfoot. It's now used in many ground cover situations where normal grasses may not do as well. When used in lawn situations, it can be mowed for an even, smooth finish.

Dichondra Repens is commonly called Kidney Weed, Dichondra Pony Foot, or Lawn Leaf. It grows so easily from ground cover seeds that it can be used as a lawn alternative to create a Dichondra Repens lawn.

Many people use Dichondra Repens as a lawn alternative, and you can mow it to the height you want to maintain it at. For the nicest appearance, mow approximately every two weeks at a height of 1 1/2" – 2" during the summer months. During the winter months, you can mow as low as 3/4".

The White Cloud crimson clover is a unique cultivar of Trifolium incarnatum with white flowers and white seeds. As the only white-flowered clover of its kind in the US, it stands out from other varieties. Due to the lack of red coloration, the levels of bitter anthocyanins are lower, resulting in a sweeter taste that is more palatable for livestock. This makes it a great choice for hay, pasture, silage, and forage as well as for wildlife food plots, cover crops, green manure crops, crop rotations, nitrogen fixator, and as a ground cover.

White Cloud crimson clover has a high dry matter yield and is an annual clover that can fix nitrogen. This makes it an excellent option for cover crop or rotation/green manure applications. When it comes to planting, the crimson clover can be planted at any time of the year depending on your goals.

For those looking to seed the White Cloud crimson clover, the recommended seeding rate is 20-25 lbs per acre for broadcast seeding. With its unique white flowers and white seeds, as well as its versatility in terms of usage, it is a great choice for farmers and agricultural enthusiasts looking to enhance their pastures, crops, and livestock.

Looking to improve your pasture or food plot? Look no further than Ladino Clover Seed. This giant white clover grows as a perennial all across the United States and is known for its exceptional palatability.

When sowing Ladino Clover Seed, it is recommended to use 1/2 lb – 3/4 lb per 1,000 square feet or 8 to 10 lbs per acre. To plant, simply broadcast the seed on prepared soil and rake it in lightly. It's important to keep the clover seed continually moist until germination occurs.

One of the many benefits of Ladino Clover Seed is that the weight of the seeds contain approximately 34% coating material that contains the inoculant and water holding material for better establishment and viability of the seed.

Whether you're looking to enhance your pasture or create a food plot that will attract deer, Ladino Clover Seed is the perfect addition. Order now and experience the benefits for yourself.

Crown vetch is a highly effective perennial plant that is widely used for erosion control due to its fast growth and aggressive nature. This plant is characterized by its white to pink flowers and is best suited for planting in areas that are difficult to reach such as steep, dry, rocky slopes and low fertility soils. It is known to thrive in USDA Zones 4 – 10 and can grow well in poor, rocky soils.

It is important to note that Crown vetch should not be planted in areas where other plants have already been established as it has a tendency to crowd them out. Although it has moderate shade tolerance, it is highly tolerant to drought conditions.

Crown vetch is a very economical and visually appealing way to cover bare ground as it produces a dense ground cover, which is perfect for erosion control. It is often seen blooming along the side or center divider of highways, especially on steep banks or slopes.

To ensure proper growth, it is recommended that Crown vetch be sown at a rate of 1 lb per 1,000 square feet. The dense flowers that are clustered atop the green foliage make for a beautiful sight during the summer months. Despite the small size of each bloom, even a small planting can create a nearly solid carpet of pink during the summer.

It should be noted that Crown vetch takes some time to germinate, and if planting is done at the end of summer or early fall, it is important to allow for 10 weeks of establishment before the first hard frost date. Overall, Crown vetch is a highly effective and visually appealing solution for erosion control that can be easily established in rocky and poor soils.

Red clover is a valuable forage legume that is widely cultivated in temperate regions throughout the United States. This short-lived perennial clover typically lasts 3-5 years, but can persist longer due to self-seeding. Red clover is gaining popularity in the Deep South as a winter annual, and is grown in numerous areas from bulk clover seeds in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of the country.

This versatile crop has many uses, including cover crops, food plots, pasture mixtures, hay, and silage. As a result, it is the most widespread clover used today. Red clover is adaptable to a wide range of climatic conditions, soil types, fertility levels, and management practices. It is easy to establish, with vigorous seed growth, and is an excellent nitrogen fixator, which enhances soil health. Red clover is also relatively disease and pest-free, making it a popular choice for crop rotation programs.

Red clover is often grown in conjunction with cool season grasses, but it can also be grown alone or with certain warm-season perennial grasses. It is an excellent soil improvement crop that can be used for pasture, hay, or silage. When grown in areas where it is well-adapted, the yield of red clover seed is usually higher than that of any other clover. It also has a longer growing season than any other clover grown in the United States. Bumblebees are the main pollinators, and red clover is highly attractive to insects.

To plant red clover seeds, use 1/2 lb per 1,000 square feet or 8 to 16 lbs per acre. It is recommended to plant at a depth of approximately 1/4 inch, but it is better to be too shallow than too deep. Good seed-soil contact helps ensure establishment. In the northern and central parts of the red clover belt, most red clover is seeded in late winter to early spring. In the Lower South, autumn plantings are preferred.

Buckwheat is a versatile summer annual crop that can be utilized as a green manure crop. With its adaptability to various soil types, it remains an excellent choice for farmers and gardeners alike. The seeds of this crop stay on the stalk after ripening, making it a convenient option for harvesting.

One of the most significant benefits of Buckwheat is its low maintenance requirements during the growing season. This crop does not require pesticides and requires only minimal fertilizer, making it an inexpensive choice for farmers. Buckwheat is a short-season cash crop that seamlessly fits into crop rotations during periods when fields would otherwise be left idle.

To achieve optimal results, sow Buckwheat seeds at a rate of 40 to 50 lbs per acre or 3 lbs per 1,000 square feet after all danger of frost has passed in the spring or summer. It's important to note that all seeds from Outsidepride are non-GMO and are intended for the current and following growing seasons. Additionally, all flower seeds are produced from open-pollinated plants, which assures a quality and sustainable product.