Each seed packet is measured to cover 25 sq ft or 100 sq ft, depending on the size you chose.

Sowing Instructions

• When to sow: Fall is ideal in Portland. The soil is still warm for germination, and fall rains keep seedlings watered. Some seeds (like meadowfoam or clovers) can also be spring-sown.
   

How to sow:

• Rake the soil lightly to create good seed-to-soil contact.
• Scatter the contents of the packet evenly over the area (don’t worry about perfect spacing).
• Gently press or rake seeds in so they make contact with the soil. Do not bury deeply — most native and cover crop seeds need light to germinate.
• Water: Fall rains usually do the job, but water lightly if the weather turns dry.

What to Expect

• Traditional Cover Crops (rye, peas, fava, daikon, crimson clover, buckwheat, mustard): Grow quickly, protect soil, and build fertility. In spring, chop them down or mow before they set seed. Some (like rye) can also be crimped into a mulch.

• Living Mulches (red fescue, dwarf yarrow, creeping thyme, low clovers): These stay low and provide long-term weed suppression and ground cover. Shear lightly as needed, but they don’t require replanting every year.
   

• Pollinator Wildflowers (Clarkia, poppy, gilia, flax, meadowfoam, coneflower, blanketflower): Not classic cover crops, but they add beauty and attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Many reseed naturally.
   

Spring & Summer Management

• Chop-and-drop: Cut plants at the base and leave them as mulch (peas, fava, clovers).

• Mow: Use on ryegrass or cereals to turn them into quick mulch.

• Crimp: Flatten tall rye or grains at flowering to create a long-lasting weed barrier.

• Shear perennials: Yarrow, thyme, and sedges can be trimmed back after bloom.

• Self-seeders: Flowers like poppy, clarkia, and meadowfoam will often reseed themselves. Leave some seed heads if you want them back next year.

Quick Tips

• Cover crops = soil builders.

• Living mulches = weed suppressors.

• Wildflowers = pollinator magnets.

Tulle or row cover can protect young seedlings from birds and slugs until established.