Managing Cover Crops Profitably

Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series #9

by Andy Clark (Coordinator)

Managing Cover Crops Profitably explores how and why cover crops work and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation. Revised and updated in 2007, the 3rd edition includes new chapters on brassicas and mustards, six new farm profiles, as well as a comprehensive chapter on the use of cover crops in conservation tillage systems. Updates throughout are based on more than 100 new literature citations and consultations with cover crop researchers and practitioners around the country. Appendices include seed sources and a listing of cover crop experts.

Genres: Gardening, Agriculture

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

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Reviews

[Jennifer Conner]

This book is THE cover crop bible. Not only does it have specific recommendations of cover crops for your ecoregion with detailed descriptions of each crop, it includes a chart that describes the benefits of each cover crop, when to sow the cover crop, sowing rates (drilling and broadcasting), cost, drawbacks, benefits, hardiness, pH, germination temperature, management challenges and more. We will be using cover crops in our garden and on a 3 acre field that has been cut for hay in the past. We'll be planting a white clover cover crop to act as a living mulch for weed suppresion and also for the nitrogen benefit and pollinator benefit (we raise bees as well). This is a must-have book for those of you who want to heal the land naturally and effectively while sustainably producing food from the land!

[Liz]

This book is by far the best thing I've ever read about cover crops. While it is targeted towards small to medium sized farms, there is plenty here to interest sustainability-focused home gardeners as well.

[Alan]

So far this handbook is proving excellent for selecting cover crops for my really messed up acreage. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone considering cover/smother cropping on any scale.

[Tyler]

Great tool for producers!