Oats

Fast cover, faster biomass

Oats come up in days and blanket a bare field in weeks — the fastest way to stop a wind or rain from walking off with your topsoil.

Its job

plant     spring, right after thaw
cover     fastest germination going
biomass    heavy, cheap, quick to break down
winter     winterkills, leaving a clean seedbed

Why it matters

When the field is bare and the forecast is wind, oats are the answer that grows while you're still deciding.