20 Best Cover Crop For Garden (2023 Updated)

I’m very, very pleased with this ground cover mix. I live in an arid climate with heavy clay soil. I’m trying to repair the soil on my property in order to improve water retention and nutrient density so that I can eventually grow fruits and vegetables in the ground instead of raised beds.

I’ve tried a handful of ground covers this summer, and none of them have been successful except for this one. I tilled the soil down about 8 inches first and amended it with a clay buster mix. The cover crop is flourishing! I will definitely be purchasing more of it in the future.

This product suited our needs greatly. We are not using this cover crop seeds for agricultural/farming purposes, but for aesthetic reasons only. The seeds were sown into our forest (pine, fir and oak trees) in early April.

They germinated within 4-5 days already and even survived a couple of snow/frosty days. Currently they are about 3-4 inches which is perfect for us so far. We are at zone 9 and this cover crop seems to be a good alternative for ground cover in the forest floor.

Austrian Winter Pea is by far the highest germination rate for a Pea I have used for a microgreen. I have switched from Speckled to this. Same amazing flavor

Shipped promptly. Seeds were in a stout tote which survived the box they were shipped in.

We planted our big 12’x12’ garden in peas summer before last. At the end of the season we picked PEAS and ate as much as we wanted. after the first frost we took the lawnmower and mowed down the PEAS and then rototilled everything under.

We had the best dirt and most nutrient rich dirt we’ve ever had.

Order arrived quickly. Sowed inoculated butter beans directly into warm ground and amazed at the results. Complete germination with healthy plants from store bought organic Greek “gigantes” beans.

Great product! Bought with Alfalfa seeds. They are coming in strong.

I’m happy to report my peas are already up! Every single one of the seeds germinated! We’re looking forward to a great harvest and lots of wonderful meals with fresh garden peas!

I am glad I bought this. Some of the salads for sale in supermarkets are older than me!! I have arthritis and this means I can manage the system well and don’t have to compete with the rabbits for my own supplies.

It is expensive though but I guess you get what you pay for.

Quality product, easy to assemble with good easy to follow instructions. I brought the 2x1m pod and put it together,filled it and put some plants and seeds in all in about an 1. 5hours. I put 1x perlite (100lt) 5x potting mix (65lt) 1x 5in1 (65lt) 1x cow manure (30lt) and 1x mushroom compost (30lt) which made it really full and a louring for it to settle.

I put it on a metal single bed frame, perfect size.

Great kit, fast delivery, easy to put together, cover is a great advantage over normal raised beds . Self watering from underneath, and easy sprinkler system incorporated in the cover .

We used these for a fall cover crop last year and had really great results. Germinated extremely well, grew vigorously and had the most beautiful flowers. We let our chickens scratch through before the first frost, and the rest were covered over the winter.

We had beautiful rich soil in the spring, and our veggies are doing great!.

I am using this on various areas on my property to add nutrients and/or base a meadow. Grows very fast, and tall as well. Spreads well. I did almost no prep first (i. e. tilling/sheet mulching) and it still comes up and is working great to combat the grasses/weeds I don’t want.

Best pricing I have found as well.

I didn’t know where I wanted to plant these exactly, so I was gardening and decided to throw them down in one corner of my property. I watered them and a day later hurricane Elsa came through, oh my wird the water was neverending.

I thought to myself oh, well I guess i just wasted those seeds. I went out to check after the storm and all i saw were little sprouts everywhere. Extremely happy. Now there only sprouts right now, so we’ll see if they grow up.

I am done. just done!!! No more weed & feed, mowing, every weekend, I am going with what wants to grow there. White clover grows/spreads great, looks great, no mowing “needed”, amends the soil, feeds honey bees & my chickens, and some fun wild fauna (turkey, porcupine, deer, moose, etc.

). I am putting patches of Ajuga, all & any variety of thymes, Irish moss, and patches of other ground covers that grow/spread and don’t need mowing. These ground covers actually kill/smother out, the horrible weedy wild grasses.

I have been known to take 5 minutes to dead head the clover and just throw the brown seed heads where the clover is missing/thin. I actually love the violets and dandelions that pop up first in the spring; just love that color; after all, they die back in a couple weeks and all the groundcovers totally hide that they are even there.

I have gotten a lot of comment about how beautiful & unique my (around 1 acre) lawn looks around my house, in the middle of my 3acre wooded property. I didn’t think of this. I am copying what others around here in NH have done; and I liked the look and don’t have the time to fight with the lawn, any more.

I also have an electric cordless lawn mower, that I rarely need to use. I highly recommend spending time on other things, actually, lawn can take care of it’s self, better than I can.

I am less than an amateur when it comes to gardening. We have a back yard that has poor soil, very little light and has not sustained any growth except weeds and moss. Last Fall I spread seed, and I must not have done it correctly as the clover was spotty.

7 months ago, in April I spread the seed and watered for the first 25 days. After that I spread out the watering to stimulate root growth. The clover has flourished. I plan to fill in some spots that are still bare this next Spring.

Excellent choice. Look forward to supporting the honey bees for pollinating our crops.

We have a large cleared area, on top of a hill, in the middle of a forested mountain. It is hot in summer, cold in winter. The soil is, well, it’s a mountaintop so the soil is more likened to beach sand with marbleized clay than anything I can think of.

Crabgrass is about the only thing that will live. However, we are not looking for a ‘grass’ lawn per se. We want to live in with nature, we have turkeys grazing in the yard, along with deer, squirrels and a million birds.

And no neighbors nearby to complain that the yard has not been ‘properly’ maintained. But we still need and like a “lawn-like” area to walk around in. What do to if we’re tree huggers and don’t use chemical fertilizers? ha! Just let it grow as it likes, with various wild flowers, weeds and THIS CLOVER.

We love it. Okay, we had to sow two years in a row and that was, basically IT. We have a pretty, floral lawn that needs near zilch maintenance. I realize this is not what traditional lawns are like or what most people strive for.

But. If you’re one of the few who can afford to march to the different drummer and have no zoning restrictions and just choose to live to nature but still want some creature comforts, like a lawn, THIS is an wonderful choice for making and maintaing a lawn that is super low maintenance and won’t need fertilizers or much more than an occasional run with a weed eater.

Alternately, if you just have a problem “area” where you don’t know what to do – such as a hill or a remote clearing – I suggest you give this a try, it looks natural but it also looks like a wild garden.

Thumbs up!.

I have yet to plant, but am in the process of renewing my garden beds with these awesome alfalfa seeds to enrich my soil! The packs are full and fresh, and delivery was quick!

Germination rate is very high, growth is very uniform (Even canopy in my trays), sheds seed hull after first true leaf (8-10 days). Highly recommend for micro greens or sprouts. I’ve used Alfalfa seeds from other sources and they do not compare to Trueleaf’s when it comes to growth, texture and flavor.

Looking forward to covering my yard in this soil enriching product as well as enjoying the healing herbal tea from its leaves. Pretty ground cover.

I planted these seeds in late September into 4- 4’x 8′ raised beds (in Albuquerque) two with bare soil where nothing had grown for two years, and two with stubble from annual buckwheat grown earlier this summer.

Germination rate has been VERY disappointing, probably something like 30% and it’s now close to a month since planting and it’s already starting to get cold. There are probably only about a dozen plants in total that seem strong and healthy.

The only factor I can think of to explain this disappointment (other than not very good seeds) is that they were a year old when planted.

Planted my Hairy Vetch upon arrival about 2 weeks ago. Rather warm but dry Southern CT. fall weather has allowed all my cover crops o take off nicely! Garden cover planted a while ago is vibrant green and about 12 inches high! The wispy shoots of Hairy Vetch are catching up quickly.

This is the first time I have ordered the vetch as a separate cover. My wife loves the purple flowers in the Spring so I have sown a border edge as defense against weeds from open field next door. Will see how this works in the Spring.

I will try to send pics. Thanks so much for being such a great company to deal with. F Judd.

I planted these a little late in the Fall (mid November in Virginia) so I didn’t know what to expect. They have already sprouted and seem to be doing well even in the cold weather. I have kept them covered with plastic at night to avoid a hard frost.

Germination seems to be very good. We’ll see how it does for the soil in the Spring.

I received the seeds and planted them. They have not germinated yet, so I cannot give an appropriate review at this time. The only thing I can say is there were less seeds in the package than I was expecting.

I assume that is why they were so inexpensive.

Started with this peas as my fall to winter garden it already sprouted in a week time. The seeds are very even matured size nothing is bigger or smaller, shrinked. We have seeded other fall crops too like carrots, beets, radish, kohlrabi, all of them have sprouted very fast.

Will keep buying from true leaf market for my summer gardens.

Very satisfied with these seeds! Bought them for microgreens and they grew very well and very quickly under my grow light.

First time ordering the Alfalfa seeds to use as a winter cover crop in my garden. Very Satisfied with the Germination and Growth of these Alfalfa seeds!

I would purchase from this seller again; they communicated when an item was out of stock and offered options. The item arrived timely and I can’t wait to see how they grow!\n\nUpdate. I have lots and lots of these guys that are happily growing in the garden.

Especially happy with my purchase now that I see them growing. \nThanks again!.

amazing, as usual . . . . . . . . . . . .

I gave 4 stars because I just got them. They did start sprouting. And I will change to five stars with an update if they grow. The seeds from here are always fresh and seem to sprout well.

seed is great quality and packaged well. To early to say how it will germinate but weather will be the big question mark. Over all I always have had success with Handcock Seed Co.

This was the first time I ordered from your store. My order got majorly messed up. It felt let down and as if y’all didn’t know your job. But then, the cavalry came. A team of people bent on a solution.

And, a relentless team. Once the problem was discovered, your team stayed focused until my remaining seeds were delivered. Unforeseen situations occur. It’s the recovery that counts. Count me a continuing customer.

After about 2 weeks since the temperature was lower than normal the vetch finally sprouted and after the next rain it took off and is starting to spread out. Great stuff!

I bought 2 lbs. of New Zealand clover seeds and mixed them thoroughly well with the grass seeds and started seeding the lawn about 6 weeks ago. I waited at least 6 weeks to see any results. So far, only about 30% of the lawn contained the clover and the rest was grass.

Maybe it takes a little longer to see a lawn with more clover. Perhaps it is too early to make a comprehensive assessment. So far, the lawn contains 70% grass intermixed with 30% clover scattered throughout the lawn.

This lawn is in the Southern California region with plenty of sunshine.

We have new construction ground around our home with no intention of putting in a lawn. After research and recommendations the New Zealand Clover was the best choice especially since we planted in Oct.

We did add a covering of mushroom compost before seeding as was recommended in my research. The seed sprouted beautifully and is handling the freezing nights just fine, coming back to lively green when it warms up.

I love this shorter variety for the “lawn look”. So thrilled to find this seed variety and quality. Will be purchasing more to add to field areas we seeded with native grasses and wild flowers in the spring.

I purchased a pound of clover to use as a cover crop in my garden, and to start converting my backyard to clover. The seeds are all uniformly coated, and go down super easy! The easiest way to spread it in a large area is with a lawn spreader, which will evenly distribute it over the area you want to seed.

A very generous amount of seed and packaged extremely well in a resealable bag. I threw out the whole bag (scattered by hand) in a hard clay area of my back yard and am hoping this clover will sprout and take over.

We are expecting a good rain all day tomorrow and if half of it comes up I’ll be happy. There is really a good amount of seed and the packaging was fantastic. I received the order within 1 week of ordering and the seed looked good and fresh.

I’ve planted white clover in areas of my yard for the last 3 years and this bag was one of the best I’ve ever bought just looking at the seed. Clover does not take long to come up here in southeast Alabama and I’m expecting great results from this bag.

I’ll update if I do not get a lot of clover. 🙂 My yard was scraped of the topsoil when the subdivision was built about 10 years ago and clover is such easy maintenance and a really good and natural alternative to grass that whenever I can find a place to put it, I do.

Great for the bees and so pretty to look at! PLANT CLOVER ! :-).

My test patch is growing beautifully. Our home is a new construction so the soil is just clay. I also have dogs who keep the grass unhealthy. There is some pre-existing clover around that their urine has not killed so that is why I am trying the clover to begin with.

I put the seed out, spread a thin (very thin) layer of some cheap shredded tree bark on top, kept it moist and within 2 days the sprouts where popping up. Very pleased and will be buying more to continue sowing the rest of the yard.

I use this fabric for weed control in the vegetable garden. I am ordering again because of a move otherwise the fabric would last at minimum 4 seasons probably more. I use an ice burning torch to make holes for the plants.

Be sure to burn the edges to stop fraying of the edges. As long as you prevent fraying the fabric is strong enough to hold up for multiple uses. There is a good chance I will keep the fabric down and rotate crops in the same holes this year.

Black plastic over winter, then fabric for weed control. Works great for spaced plants, never having to weed is worth it’s weight in gold. Saving a ridiculous amount of time with weed control. I haven’t noticed any I’ll effects from heat retention with the fabric and over head watering works well through the fabric, no significant pooling after watering.

I started using Dewitt’s Sunbelt woven ground cover primarily for garlic production. The fabric I use on those beds is now going into it’s fifth season with no signs of deterioration. It was such an improvement over traditional mulches that I’ve purchased more and will be using it on most of the other beds.

The holes are made using a flame weeder.

Got it quicker than estimated time. and was pleased with one of the two rolls I ordered. One of the rolls was frayed at just one end. I noticed it before I unrolled it. lightly torched the frayed end of the roll ( had I unrolled it one entire side would have been frayed) and solved the issue rather tan return it.

I later bought 2 rolls of a competitor which I haven’t used yet. FYI, Instead of burning holes for planting, I made cross (+) pattern stencil about 1/4″ wide cut for the burn to make 5″ x 5″ (+). Then just tuck under the 4 triangle flaps created , plant, then untuck the flaps and weeds have nowhere to start.

GLTA.

Bought this for squash vine borer protection. Worked really well and I was super pumped at how nicely I was able to cut and it place it over the beds. If I had written this review day one, it would have been very pleasant.

But then, after a few rains, I realized that my plant beds were completely dry. This fabric does not allow water penetration at all. Okay, so now I figure, well I will have to take the covers off when it rains.

But then after only one attempt to do so, they ripped! This is the first time I have adjusted them and everywhere that they were touching a pole or post they have large gapping holes, just inviting the borers right in.

Frustrated and disappointed. I would not recommend or buy this again.

I cannot grow Swiss Chard, beets, or spinach without it: This super lightweight fabric keeps leaf miners out. I float it over 4′ hoops and it traps humidity from the soil, which makes the leaves large and lush here in Denver.

Seriously, the best Swiss Chard I’ve ever grown. Handled carefully, this lightweight fabric lasted four seasons. Yes, I think it does trap a little heat, but my plants do just fine. I use soaker hoses, but you can water plants through the fabric itself if need be.

Side note: my basil here in Denver tends to have tough leaves; with this cloth, the leaves are fuller and more tender because of the extra humidity.

I am using this fabric on my Gardeners Patio Self Watering Tomato Planters (now no longer offered). I have wrapped it around the cage, tucking it under the clamps on the bottom and using binder clips (office supply store) to attach it and the top cover to the cage.

Eventually, I had to open the top so that the tomato could slightly peak out because they were taller than the cage. It has protected my plants from the wind and scorching desert sun and, believe it or not, has discouraged some of the squirrel’s depredations.

I have lots of green tomatoes and am dreaming of bountiful harvests.

I have tried a bunch of other types of ground cover and this stuff is by far the best! I rolled this out in sections last year and left it exposed to the sun while deciding on my options for landscaping.

Weeds did not push through it despite the fact there were no wood chips or anything on top. I used some cheap stuff in other area of my yard, left exposed as well, and the stuff either disintegrated or acted as a greenhouse with tons of weeds growing under it.

This purchase was to extend the same product I bought last year. Dewitt 20 year will be the only weed barrier I ever use.

DeWitt weed barrier is an excellent product that I have used many times over the years in various landscaping projects. I’ve used it under shredded redwood bark, fir bark chips, river rock, and pea gravel.

In all applications it has worked exceptionally well and I have found it to be durable and long lasting. I highly recommend.

The product works perfectly. We have used it for years. It prevents weeks from growing. We have used it in flower gardens and vegetable gardens. We have used it in walk ways in the garden. It is a great product.

The people who rented my house before me dug up half the yard for a garden they never put in. The bag I got covered everything and the seed germinated quickly and beautifully! Now we have a soft carpet of clover covering about half our yard safe from dog spots and gettin ready to feed the bees!.

So far, these seeds were delivered quickly. Their packets come with instructions which I love them for typing them. Going to plant them this week

I threw some down in for a test patch in a damp, mostly clay, area of my yard. The seeds only took a few days to germinate and covered the area nicely. I am excited to properly address bigger areas after the winter.