>>2607603Cover crops add nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil. from what i understand, the microbiome of the soil, which is responsible for supplying plants with the nutrients naturally found inside the soil, is dependent upon plant life being present.
the plants and the microorganisms have a symbiotic relationship, basically the fungi and bacteria and other junk "feed" the plants nutrients which they can extract from the inorganic materials (minerals) within the dirt, in exchange, they sort of milk the root system like a cow to get whatever nutrients the plant has that they need. this is why modern farming methods destroy the soil, as it leaves the soil barren for months at a time, while also killing the "good" bacteria/fungi ect, in order to kill the "bad" ones.
cover crops, by my understanding, not only provide the microbiome with a suitable environment, but also deposit nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil, which other plants take out of the soil. basically, it refeeds the soil, and keeps the microbiome that has built up from dying. i think it takes multiple years to fully build up a good microbiome, and if you dont plant a covercrop, or have something to sustain the microbiome, you have to fully restart the process each time you plant.
