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.

---

cover crop British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of cover crop

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cover crop

“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

The study found that rye, the most frequently used cover crop, is especially prone to reducing yields, Lobell said.

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

They would of course follow it up with repeated diskings until the time came for sowing another cover crop.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943 by Northern Nut Growers Association