We plant a mix of organic cover crop seeds from High Mowing. The annual mix we use is usually oats, field peas and sometimes rye or a mustard mixed in. This green manure crop will grow for about six weeks then we’ll mow it and Jim will rototill it back into the soil beds two weeks before planting in mid October. If we need to add anything to balance the soil profile we’ll add it then. Cover crops improve soil health by adding organic matter, minerals and nutrients and they help to prevent erosion.

We have pasture strips that we leave intact between the beds which so that the soil is covered as much as possible. This helps with moisture retention and makes taking care of the garlic crop a little easier. We mow these pasture strips during the summer months and they give a place for the diversity of life living in the soil. We rotate green manure crops in place rather than moving raised beds because that is the best method for us. It is not the only method for growing garlic but it is the one that works the best here. Rotating to a new spot in a smaller garden bed is also very effective.