Cover Crops

Cover Crops

Cover crops are a staple in sustainable agriculture. They are low cost, easy to maintain, and earth-friendly. In the end, planting cover crop seed benefits the soil, the crop, and the grower. Shop a large selection of forage, green manure, nitrogen fixation, and no-till cover crops.

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

The Mandan Wildrye Grass is a fast growing, cool-season, perennial bunch-grass that is a great choice for erosion control. It can be planted early or late fall, but for best results, Mandan Wildrye should be planted in the spring. This hardy grass performs well on most soil types. The Mandan Wildrye produces and brown seed head and can grow up to 4 feet! Uses: Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed suppression

The Sideoats Grama is a warm-season bunchgrass grain variety that is easy to grow and native throughout much of North America. The ornamental and distinctive seed spikes hang from only one side of the stalk, and these make good fresh or dried cuttings. This grain prefers full sun and moderate to dry soils. The Sideoats Grama is recommended for meadow and prairie plantings, beds & borders, and as a component of forage mixes for livestock and wildlife.

The Secada Forage Pea is a relatively new forage pea that has a wide range of uses such as forage, green manure, weed suppression and more! This forage pea is highly palatable, self-climbing and with high dry matter yields. A fast growing, cool-season annual legume, the Secada Forage Pea performs very well during the fall, winter and spring in Southern states. In more northern climes, an early spring plant will give high dry matter yields of excellent forage. Uses: Chicken Forage, Deer Attractant, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression

The Sadandy cowpea is a heavy yielding Southern pea great for fresh shelling. The Sadandy variety is very similarly to 'Texas Cream' but the peas are slightly smaller. These bush-type plants are prolific and thrive in hotter, Southern weather. The Sadandy is a "cream pea" type variety, they are generally used at the fresh shelling stage. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant.

The Packer Forage Pea, or Canadian field pea, is a cool-season legume that is used for cover crops, wildlife and winter grazing! This annual legume has good nitrogen-fixing capabilities. The Packer Forage Pea is a low-growing, viny legume which has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. Uses: Chicken Forage, Deer Attractant, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression

The Buffalo Grass is a warm-season grass that is the predominant component of the shortgrass prairies of the Great Plains. Once established, it is extremely drought tolerant and tough. It can be used as a xeriscape lawn grass for water conservation, and it is a common component in range mixtures. White Tailed Deer, Bison and Prairie Dogs utilize it for forage, and it is a larval host for the Green Skipper. Plants are stoloniferous and can invade flower beds if an edging or barrier is not used.

The Frontier Grazer Rye is a grain that makes a great cover crop to prevent erosion and build up organic matter in the soil! Plant this variety early to late fall; in mild climates fall through early spring. The best choice for fast, cool-season germination. The Frontier Grazer Rye captures soil nutrients in the fall to release in spring when worked into the soil. Uses: Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression<

The Elite cowpea is a bush type cream southern pea that produces heavy yields of 7" pods with cowpeas that are delicious and easy to shell. This cowpea is one of the most productive of all the cream peas. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Indiangrass is a warm-season bunchgrass that is native to central and eastern North America and provides cover and food for wildlife. This grass can reach up to seven feet tall and is a common species of the Tallgrass Prairie. The beautiful, plume-like seed heads are very ornamental making them excellent for prairie and conservation mixtures.

Switchgrass is a rhizomatous, warm-season bunchgrass that is native throughout most of the U.S. It is a major component of the Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem. Alamo originates from Live Oak County, Texas. It is late maturing and was developed as a renewable biofuel resource for the southern U.S. Recommended for pasture mixes, erosion control and soil stabilization. It also provides good nesting habitat, cover and food for many different types of wildlife.

The Piper Sudangrass is a great catch crop for excess nitrogen that produces heavy amounts of organic matter and suppresses weeds. This grass grows quickly at heights up to 7 feet. The Piper Sudangrass is great for livestock forage, but should be grazed only when mature and never after a frost as it turns toxic. Uses: Erosion Control, Green Manure, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression

Lady is the smallest and most tender Southern cowpea on the market. This cowpea variety is a popular and hard to find southern cowpea. Lady is excellent freshly cooked and very tender. The short plants are great for small gardens, and yields are high. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Texas Cream is a heavy yielding Southern cowpea that is great for fresh shelling. This variety is very similarly to 'Sadandy' but the cowpeas are slightly larger. These bush-type plants are prolific and thrive in hotter, Southern weather. Texas Cream is a "cream pea" type variety, they are generally used at the fresh shelling stage. Treated Seed.

The Big Boy Purplehull is a high yielding, popular Southern cowpea that is great for home gardens. Big Boy Purplehull is a long podded variety with 13-16 peas per pod that are light tan in color and oblong shape. This is a good garden variety and is very prolific. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The California Blackeye #46 is similar to California Blackeye #5, but with smaller seeds. Bred by the UCLA and released in 1987. California Blackeye #46 plants are more erect than California Blackeye #5. The seeds are a typical blackeye type of Southern peas with cream-colored seed coats and black pigments around the eyes.  Heavy yielder. If using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Quickpick Pinkeye cowpea is a bush type southern cowpea with early maturity and good disease resistance. This variety is a pinkeye Purplehull type variety that is determinate, erect, compact (reach about 20 inches), and non-vining. This cowpea gets its name, Quickpick, because it matures in about 60 days. The pods are dark-purple and about seven to eight inches long containing nine to eleven, kidney-shaped seeds with large, maroon colored eyes. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.

The Barkant Forage Turnip is an improved, early maturing, diploid turnip variety with a large purple tankard shaped bulb. Turnips have a high leaf to stem ratio and and provide very high concentrations of protein, sugar content and leaf yields. This turnip is ideally suited for grazing and it is common to obtain 4-6 tons of dry matter per acre of this high-energy feed.  Uses: Chicken forage, deer attractant, forage