cover crops with overwintering vegetables?

[franciscoevans]

hii im new to gardening (vancouver, bc) and ive been so obsessed with it this year that im already starting to plan next year’s harvest hahahah

so I really want to try cover crops for this winter but i also want to grow vegetables over winter (ex. garlic, onions, kale, sprouting broccoli etc.) but i’m confused with how that would work…

can i plant my vegetables with the cover crops? or just have some beds with cover crops and some with just the vegetables?

ive been trying to google this question but nothing is giving me a straight answer lol any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Penellype]

Hi franciscoevans, welcome to the vine.

There is no reason why you shouldn't grow more than one type of crop in the same space, as long as you allow enough room for growth around each. You can certainly plant narrow plants like garlic and onions in between other things - have a look at some of Charles Dowding's Youtube videos for examples of "interplanting". Similarly I don't see why you shouldn't plant low growing cover crops between large plants like kale and broccoli.

The best thing to do when you are just starting out (or even when you have experience) is experiment, and make notes about what is successful and what isn't so that you can refer back to it next time.

[Nicos]

And welcome to the Vine from me too.

One thing you might find useful is to get hold of your average monthly max and min temperatures.
Altitude may make a difference to both your nighttime ( and afternoon ) temperatures , which, again, will make a difference as to which are the best crops likely to succeed.

Exciting times ahead for you! Do keep us updated….

[Penellype]

Just came across this video about which plants do not go well together, which you may find interesting. I certainly learned something!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIEU7HLaJQU

[Snoop Puss]

Hello and welcome from me too. Sounds like you've caught the growing bug good and proper.

Lots of good advice above. Only thing I can add is maybe consider broad or field beans as a green manure. Potentially a harvest if you don't need the bed straightaway, but great as ground cover for chopping and dropping if you need the bed before the beans are ready.

Don't forget that you'll need to dig in or chop and drop your green manure a few weeks before you want to use the ground for your crops.

Good luck.