Companion crops or companion planting are sometimes known as nurse crops. A companion crop is generally defined as a crop sown with another crop to gain some advantage in yield or crop protection from pests. In forage production, a small grain may be seeded with the forage crop. In the north, for example, a spring grain crop such as oats may be planted with a spring seeding of legumes and grasses. The grain companion crop will:
- provide a cash crop, feed pasture, or silage during the establishment year,
- reduce soil erosion,
- help to control weeds
More generally, the advantages for planting a companion crop include:
- more forage the first year
- a financial return the first year
- rapid soil cover to prevent erosion when planted with a slow growing primary crop
- suppression of weeds.
But there are disadvantages in planting a companion crop as well. Disadvantages include:
- competition for water and nutrients which may reduce vigor
- need to have main crop fill in spaces when companion crop is removed. Otherwise, weeds will.
