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Q&A - What is the best ground cover to use in a garden?

Question:
What is the best ground cover to use in a vegetable garden? I've heard of using vetch, clover, or manure.

Answer:
Gardening Expert Tonya Ashworth says that fresh manure should not be used in the garden. For green manures or cover crops, she gives several pieces of advice. If you plant a legume it will fix nitrogen into the soil which will benefit the plants that come after.  Small grains are good at weed suppression and biomass build-up. A combination of a legume and a grain would give you the best of both worlds. Tonya recommends planting rye and clover or rye and vetch.

The publication Tonya referred to is: Fall Cover Crop Selection and Planting Dates in Tennessee

Related Resources:
Cover Crops
Groundcovers
Cover Crops
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  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search