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

“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

Darby has spent 20 years working with Vermont farmers to grow cover crop rye.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2024

The spring was wet and the rye field was so soggy, he couldn’t get in for weeks to kill the cover crop and plant his soybeans, resulting in a smaller crop.

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

Then sow a cover crop of rye, cow peas or soy beans to take up moisture, slow up growth and prevent the late sappy condition that is often responsible for winter injury.

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