Root Zero

Cover Crops

Soil contains over three times the quantity of organic carbon found in vegetation and double that of the atmosphere (IPCC, 2000).

The soil in Pembrokeshire is packed full of nutrients and perfect for growing potatoes.

At ROOT ZERO we do everything we can to look after it and keep it healthy.

We plant cover crops to:

  • Build up carbon and feed the soil with nutrients.
  • Sequester carbon - studies estimate that the rate at which cover crops can sequester carbon in agricultural soils is 0.22 tons/acre/year.
  • Protect the soil and the precious carbon-rich topsoil during winter months, to prevent soil erosion and water pollution.
  • Provide food and habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects and attract essential pollinators.

In 2021 we planted 150 acres of cover crops – or a whopping 369 football pitches worth of cover crops!! This represents 33,000kg of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.

We plant several varieties of cover crop species such as sunflowers, common vetch, linseed, buckwheat, phacelia and berseem clover, particularly for the Shrill Carder Bee. Phacelia produces an abundance of nectar and pollen which attracts Honeybees and short-tongued Bumblebees such as White Tailed Bumblebees, Buff Tailed Bumblebees along with the Shrill Carder Bee.