Hey everyone! I'm looking for advice on how to prepare my garden for winter in western New York. Should I plant a cover crop in my vegetable beds, or would adding a few inches of shredded leaves be a better choice? Planting seeds sounds simpler, but I also have a ton of leaves I can run through my lawnmower. I grow various vegetables across my 20 garden beds, so any insights would be really helpful! Thanks a lot!
3 Answers
It really depends on what your soil needs most. If it's low on carbon, leaves can be beneficial, while a cover crop can add nitrogen if that’s what you’re missing. You might want to assess your soil health before deciding.
You could actually do both! If you till the cover crop under, adding leaves on top shouldn't hurt anything. But I recommend doing the leaves soon, especially since we might get snow early. It helps the soil stay active underneath! I don’t know if I'd recommend doing both at the same time given that timing is crucial here.
I've added leaves to my beds before, but only if they have a bit of a lip to keep them in place, otherwise the wind can be a problem. A couple of inches of leaves works fine; just move them aside come spring when you’re planting. I've also used cover crops in the past, like hairy vetch and clovers, which can benefit the soil a lot. Just remember that some can get a bit out of hand during the growing season! I can’t recall the last legume cover crop I tried, but it was very prolific! I think it varies with what works best for you.