Rather than using a short-term annual mix, we chose a perennial-leaning cover crop blend that supports long-term soil health while staying compatible with a food forest system. This mix focuses on soil protection, living roots, and steady improvement rather than rapid top growth alone.

Here’s what we planted and the role each species plays:

Perennial ryegrass establishes quickly and provides early soil coverage, helping reduce erosion while improving soil structure. Its fibrous root system supports microbial activity and creates pathways for water infiltration.

Fine fescues—including creeping red fescue, hard fescue, and chewings fescue—form a dense, low-growing ground cover that protects soil without competing aggressively with trees and shrubs. These grasses are well suited for orchard and agroforestry settings because they tolerate partial shade, require fewer inputs, and help suppress weeds naturally.

White Dutch clover adds diversity to the mix while supporting nitrogen cycling in the soil. As a low-growing legume, it helps feed soil biology, supports pollinators when allowed to flower, and complements the grass species without overwhelming young plantings.

Together, this blend creates a living soil blanket—one that stabilizes the ground, supports beneficial organisms, and prepares the land for future crops like chestnuts, pawpaws, hazelnuts, and other perennial plantings planned for the farm.