Vineyards and orchards are often planted on slopes where it would be difficult or impractical to plant short duration vegetable crops, such as broccoli or lettuce, that require significant irrigation. In modern tradition the lanes between trees or grape vines are disced clean, exposing them to the ravages of water and wind scouring. The hot, dry summer that followed continued the erosion, succumbing to thieving winds. There is a cheap answer, one that is so simple and natural as to be embarrassingly obvious. Not only does this solution provide effective erosion prevention, it saves many times its cost in saved labor, fuel and reduced need for pesticides.
Cover crops replace the bare dirt rows between orchard trees and grape vines.
The benefits of cover cropping are manifold according to University of California Davis scientists, not the least of which is erosion prevention. This additional vegetation in vineyards and orchards stabilizes the soil and absorbs much of the rainfall. Runoff is dramatically reduced and what there is carries a far lower load of precious topsoil. In dry weather, reduced dust is important for mites make a home in dust that settles on leaves. Dry soil is protected by the vegetation, reducing wind erosion.