Cover crops for the desert

This photo of a five-year planting of the Canada mix cover crop shows how it goes dormant in the summer. It can be tough to get cover crops to grow in the arid climate of eastern Washington, but Washington State University scientists have identified several drought-tolerant cover crop species for vineyardists who want to protect their topsoil and enjoy other benefits of a cover crop. The benefits are plenty, from reducing spider mite problems because of the reduction of dust, to preventing soil erosion, suppressing weeds, improving soil aeration, reducing vine vigor, and enhancing populations of beneficial insects. Preventing soil […]