catch crop
Noun: A catch crop is a fast-growing agricultural crop planted and harvested in the interval between two main plantings of staple crops. Its primary purposes are to make productive use of land that would otherwise be idle, to provide a quick yield, and sometimes to improve soil quality.
This term is used specifically in the context of agriculture, farming, and gardening. It describes a strategic planting practice within a crop rotation or planting schedule. - It is planted after one main crop is harvested and before the next main crop is planted. - It can also be planted between rows of a slower-growing main crop within the same season.
- The farmer planted radishes as a catch crop between the harvest of winter wheat and the sowing of spring corn.
- To prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds, they use a fast-growing catch crop like clover.
- Growing lettuce as a catch crop allows gardeners to get an extra harvest from their vegetable plots.
- Economic and Ecological Role: Beyond providing an extra yield, catch crops (often called "cover crops" when used primarily for soil benefit) can prevent nutrient leaching, add organic matter, and control weeds.
- Planning: Successful use of a catch crop depends on precise timing and selecting species with a very short growing season.
- Cover Crop (n): A crop grown primarily to manage soil quality, control weeds, and prevent erosion rather than for direct harvest. (Note: A catch crop is harvested; a cover crop is often tilled back into the soil.)
- Intercrop (n/v): A crop grown simultaneously with another main crop. (A catch crop can be a type of intercrop if planted between rows.)
- Quick Crop (n): An informal term for a fast-maturing crop.
- Quick-growing crop
- Filler crop
- Interim crop
No common idioms or phrasal verbs are directly associated with the specific term "catch crop." It is a technical agricultural term.
- a crop that grows quickly (e.g. lettuce) and can be planted between two regular crops grown in successive seasons or between two rows of crops in the same season