Cover Crops: Establishment

Timely establishment of cover crops in the late summer and early fall is one of the most critical factors in having success with them.

Using Manually Operated Seeders for Precision Cover Crop Plantings on the Small Farm

This information sheet describes research in Virginia on using inexpensive, manually operated seeders to establish consistent cover crop stands.Download File (858.75 kB)

Cover Crops Seed Selection and Planting

Whether you are new to cover crops or an advanced user, hear from two experts on how they chose and seed their cover crops.

Cover Crops in Organic Systems

These documents provide an overview of how the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS Cover Crop 340 conservation practice can be implemented on organic operations. Specific reports include Western Region, California, Idaho, and Oregon.

Also, visit SARE’s database for reports on these research projects:

• Organic No-Till Establishment of Hairy Vetch as a Cover Crop into Hay Sod and Sensitivity to Carbon Amendments (2011, New Hampshire)
• Conserving End-of-Season N with Effective Seeding Dates for Cover Crops Based on Fall Growing Degree Days (2006, Massachusetts)
• Establishing Cover Crops at Time of Corn Planting: Determining Soil and Water Quality Benefits (2001, New York)
• Establishment of Cover Crops in Corn and Soybeans (2000, Pennsylvania)

Dig deeper into cover crops research: SARE has funded hundreds of research and education projects related to cover crops since 1988. This topic room features only a glimpse into SARE’s entire portfolio of cover crop research. To discover more, visit SARE’s database of projects and conduct full text or advanced keyword searches.