There are many options for Lawn-Alternative cover crops. These crops virtually thrive on neglect and can provide hundreds of pounds of food to harvest. Cover cropping is a technique of growing low-lying crops, such as sweet potato, melon, pumpkin, beans, and pea.

There are four classes of cover crops: grasses (such as ryegrass or barley), legumes (such as alfalfa or clover), brassicas (such as radishes or turnips) and non-legume broadleaves (such as spinach or flax).

 

Many leafy vegetables also cover the ground when their seeds are scattered (broadcast) widely. Cover cropping helps prevent soil from washing away during rains.