cover crop

American  

noun

1. a crop, usually a legume, planted to keep nutrients from leaching, soil from eroding, and land from weeding over, as during the winter.

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cover crop British  

noun

1. a crop planted between main crops to prevent leaching or soil erosion or to provide green manure

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Etymology

Origin of cover crop

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

“We want to rely on natural chemicals in the soil, like from our cover crop, which jump-starts that natural nutrient capacity of the soil.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

In other areas of the state, they are grown primarily as a cover crop, a plant grown to control weeds and promote soil health.

From Salon • May 14, 2025

Elmore seeds cover crops by plane before harvesting his cash crop, but cover crop growth has been spotty, not worth the $40-per-acre cost.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023

Swiss-headquartered agrichemicals and seeds group Syngenta began offering a cover crop seed mixture in Spain this year.

From Reuters • Sep. 14, 2023

A cover crop is then desirable, and nothing is better for this purpose than barley at the rate of 4 pecks of seed per acre.

From Crops and Methods for Soil Improvement by Agee, Alva