If you're a gardener in Tucson and you're not utilizing cover crops, you are really missing out!

Cover crops are all about improving soil quality, and because deserts has some of the worst quality soil imaginable you're going to have to do a LOT of work to improve it.

tucson desert organic garden yellow flowers broccoli lush green overgrown vegetables owl
The veggies here were grown in soil that was largely improved through cover-cropping. Mixed cover crops were chopped and dropped on a regular basis for 3 years before production became this good.

Utilizing cover crops is the least-expensive and most-scalable way to improve soil, so it's absolutely critical if you grow in the desert that you understand what cover crops are, why they're used, and how to incorporate them into your Tucson garden.

Let's talk about it...

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What Are Cover Crops?

The most common stereotype about cover crops is that they are simple a 'placeholder' crop for times when you don't feel like growing your 'real' crops.

When not fully understood, covers are often relegated to this position as 2nd-class crops, often overlooked or forgotten completely. An unimportant afterthought, or something only for farmers and not for gardeners.

None of these ideas are true.

In fact, cover crops are far more important than main crops if you plan to grow in poor desert soils. They should be your primary focus, because so much work has to be done in order to turn desert sand into the rich fluffy humus required to get good results in your garden.

Benefits of Cover Crops for Desert Gardeners

Some covers build carbon and organic matter fast (like grasses and cereal grains).

millet and sudangrass cover crops in garden
Millet and sudangrass like this are great examples of some of the quickest biomass you can grow.

Others add much-needed nitrogen to the soil (mainly legumes, and some grasses).

Some help break up compacted soils (e.g.: sweet potatoes, daikon, some brassicas).





Covers can also protect soil from erosion (e.g.: alfalfa, clover)

Cover crops are a fantastic way to suppress weeds (e.g.: some brassicas, and sweet potatoes).

You can utilize cover crops as mulch to cool and protect soil, while also hiding seeds you scatter from insects and animals as they germinate.

You can make ferments from covers, such as FPJ - a potent liquid organic fertilizer and inoculant.

Build Organic Matter in Soil

Help Suppress Weeds

Protect and Cover Soil

Improve Soil Structure

desert sand native soil cracked dry barren dead gardening soil building
The native soil here in Arizona is often heavily compacted, with little structure to hold water and oxygen. Organic matter content is low, and water infiltration is poor.

Some Cover Crops Scavenge Nutrients

Cover Cropping Techniques

Chop & Drop

No-Till Gardening

Intercropping With Covers

What Cover Crops to Use In Tucson

There are a ton of cover crop options that I've found work well in Tucson:

This is just a short list, and there are many more covers that will thrive in Tucson gadens. For a full guide and more specifics, check out Best Cover Crops For Tucson

I love using a mix of cover crops to provide a variety of different benefits and flower at different times for the pollinators.