Organic matters:COVER CROPS

摘要

Organic matter in soil is really at the heart of organic growing. The benefits that soil organic matter bring are improvementin soil structure, soil biology and soil fertility in general. In recent years there is also focus coming on combatting climate change by building up the carbon (organic matter) content of soil.It makes sense to cover up the soil for winter to protect it from the elements. A key way of doing this in organic agriculture is by growing a cover crop. This is one plant species or a combination of species specifically planted to provide soil cover. This protects soil structure and will provide a healthy amount of leafy material afterwards to benefit the following crop. And the right species of cover crop can even be a great 'carbon crop'.