Cover cropping
Keep the soil covered and alive in the inter-row, all year.
Cover crops — grasses, legumes and brassicas sown in the inter-row — are the starting point of regenerative viticulture. They replace bare soil with a living cover that guards against erosion, feeds soil life with active roots and cycles nutrients.
The mix defines the service: legumes fix nitrogen, grasses build biomass and structure, brassicas break compaction with taproots. Managed by mowing, rolling or grazing, they become organic matter rather than competing with the vine in the critical window.
Effort
Low to medium — annual sowing and one or two mowings.
Cost
Low — seed and one machine pass.
Time to result
1–3 seasons for visible structure and organic-matter gains.
What this practice regenerates
Impact by goal — click through for detail and metrics.
Soil health & structure
Living roots and incorporated biomass raise organic matter and cement stable aggregates, improving structure and porosity.
Time horizon: 1–3 seasons
What to measure for this pairing
Biodiversity & ecosystem
Cover flora provides pollen, nectar and shelter to beneficials and pollinators, and diversifies the food web above and below ground.
Time horizon: 1–2 seasons
What to measure for this pairing
Carbon sequestration & climate
Cover-crop photosynthesis injects carbon into the soil via roots and residue; accumulation is real but slow and reversible under tillage.
Time horizon: 3–5 seasons
What to measure for this pairing
Water resilience & drought
Cover and organic matter improve infiltration and, managed as summer mulch, the cover cuts soil evaporation.
Time horizon: 2–4 seasons
What to measure for this pairing
Input reduction & vine resilience
A legume cover fixes nitrogen and mulch suppresses weeds, cutting the need for nitrogen fertiliser and herbicide.
Time horizon: 1–2 seasons
What to measure for this pairing
How it works
Living roots exude sugars that feed fungi and bacteria; the top growth, as it breaks down, returns carbon and nutrients and builds stable aggregates that infiltrate water.
How to implement
- 1Choose the mix for the objective (nitrogen, biomass, decompaction).
- 2Sow in autumn, using the moisture and mild temperatures.
- 3Manage in spring by mowing or rolling before water competition sets in.
- 4Leave the residue on the surface as mulch.
What to measure
Frequently asked
Do cover crops compete with the vine for water?
They can if left unmanaged. The key is to terminate or mow the cover before the dry period, leaving residue as mulch that cuts evaporation.
Which mix should I sow?
It depends on the objective: legumes for nitrogen, grasses for biomass and trafficability, brassicas to decompact. Diverse mixes give the fullest service.
Sow every inter-row?
Under dry-farming or dry years, sowing alternate inter-rows balances the benefits against water competition.
Related reading
Related practices
How GrapeFlow helps
Implement and document this practice by plot, with an audit-ready history.
Electronic field notebook (Portugal)
In Portugal, log every operation — cover sowing, grazing, composting, mowing — by plot and date, with an audit-ready history that proves the practice over the years.
Plot registry
Every practice tied to the right plot, with area, variety, rootstock and history — so you know where you did what and can compare blocks.
Carbon footprint calculator (free)
A public, no-sign-up calculator to estimate the footprint per bottle and see where the biggest sources are before changing the practice.