2021 Spring Cover Crop Sale

How It Works

Buckwheat (front bed); Austrian winter pea (rear bed)

The Lucas SWCD is excited to offer a selection of cover crop seeds for your backyard garden! We are partnering with Walnut Creek Seeds (Carroll, OH) to offer cover crop mixes and seeds that are well-suited to northwest Ohio.  ​
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All orders must be prepaid by March 26, 2021 to guarantee selection.

Your cover crops will not be delivered; instead, we ask that you either pick up your order during the Tree Sale pick-up on April 15 and April 16 (between 9:00AM and 5:00PM) at the Lucas County Fairgrounds OR arrange a separate pick-up by calling our office. 

Cover crops are new to many backyard gardeners. We can help!! To get started, please read "Why Cover Crops?" at the bottom of this page and contact the Lucas SWCD with any questions (419) 893-1966. 

NOTE: Lucas SWCD charges no sales tax, but all online orders have a 3% + $0.30 fee to cover our web costs. 
​No debit cards please. 
Want to skip the fee?? Download/print the order form and mail or drop off a copy with cash or check!

Cover Crops Available

Photo Credit: Walnut Creek Seeds

Summer Mix
Contains: Cow Peas, Sunn Hemp, Pearl Millet, Flax, Oats, Sunflower, Oilseed Radish

Photo Credit: Walnut Creek Seeds

Color and Cover Mix
Contains: Austrian Winter Pea, Oats, Flax, Cereal Rye, Barley, Crimson Clover, Buckwheat, Hairy Vetch, Oilseed Radish, Phacelia, and Pearl Millet

Photo Credit: Walnut Creek Seeds

Raised Bed Mix
Contains: Oats, Buckwheat, Austrian Winter Pea, Hairy Vetch, Flax, Yellow Mustard, Phacelia, and Oilseed Radish

Buckwheat
 A terrific crop for the heat of summer in between your spring and fall crops. It is also great for attracting pollinators! Just cut and plant new crops on top. 

Why Cover Crops?

Cover crop mixes help to reduce erosion and compaction, and increase water permeation in the garden. They also hold minerals normally leached from your soil over the winter. Densely planted cover crops will suppress perennial and winter annual weed growth. The top growth and roots add organic matter to the garden soil. The cover crop’s root system also opens passageways that help improve air and water movement and supports microbial life. This microbial life works synergistically with the roots, bacteria, and fungi to improve soil health.
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All gardens benefit from the use of cover crops, or “green manures”, planted at the end of the season. Tilling, weeding, harvesting, and foot traffic tend to destroy soil structure. Planting cover crops is an easy way to revitalize your soil. Cover crops are planted in vacant space and can be worked into the soil. Traditionally, cover crops are either plowed under, crushed, cut, or pulled and used for mulch or compost. Cutting dense residue may help to avoid the potential negative reactions between rotting residues and new plantings. In addition, composting the cuttings may produce a more balanced soil amendment compared to chopping raw-crop residue directly into the soil.