But, you don't have to have a system like mine to receive these benefits. At the very least, try and get a cover planted for overwinter erosion protection. Think of how you can strategically place covers on your farm to enhance soil quality. My System A cover crop of hairy vetch and rye has proven most conducive to high vegetable yields at Cedar Meadow Farm, where tomatoes, pumpkins, and sweet corn are the top cash crops. I feel the components of the cover crop mix complement each other through different rooting actions and biomass production.
Rye has finer roots and it's residue lasts longer into the season.
Vetch, which is very succulent, tends to decompose quickly and releases its nitrogen quickly. Rye spreads out its release of N throughout the season. To reduce pesticides and avoid burndown, I use a rolling stalk chopper to knock down and crimp the cover crop before transplanting vegetables or direct seeding pumpkins and sweet corn. To finish off weeds, I'll apply a low rate of herbicide if a pollinating or mid-bloom cover crop proves stubborn and small weeds are present. For a first planting of tomatoes and sweet corn, I usually seed a rye cover alone because the vetch can't gain sufficient growth to suppress weeds or fortify the soil with nutrients.