Are you a gardener? If so, consider cover crops

If you’re a farmer, you’re probably familiar with cover crops.

But home gardeners might want to become familiar with them, too, says the Soil Science Society of America, too.

Cover crops - which are grown primarily to improve soil health, not for harvest and sale - can benefit gardens in three ways, the organization says.

• Help prevent erosion and topsoil loss.

• Provide organic matter to the soil in the following spring.

• Break up soil compaction.

For more information on cover crops and gardens, visit soilsmatter.wordpress.com.

The Soil Science Society of America has more than 6,000 members worldwide, and provides information about how soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem, bioremediation, waste management, recycling and wise land use.