Cover crops have been growing in popularity for BC vineyards over the past 5-10 years. This shift is associated with another sea change in wine grape production in the province: the transition to organic. The dry conditions in the Okanagan Valley, where most of the grape production occurs, make organic production more easily achievable than in other Canadian grape growing areas like Southern Ontario.  

Over the past ten years, certified organic production grew from around 4% to 20% of wine grape acres in BC. 

The shift toward organic was largely driven by the transition of over 1200 acres belonging to the Mark Anthony Group since 2017. When one of the Mark Anthony Group brands, Mission Hill, announced that they were going organic, it got people’s attention and was seen as a signal for other vineyards to follow. Sustainable wine production has become a market and tourism opportunity for the Okanagan Valley. 

Experts estimate that in 2025, up to 20% of BC wine grape operations use intentionally seeded and managed cover crops. This represents an increase of over 30% since 2018. Another ~40% of operations maintain a weedy cover in their alleyways. In 2021, when BC was setting research priorities for the Living Labs program, grape and tree fruit growers named cover crops as their #1 priority! 

In a 2025 interview with OSC3 project leader Dr. Mehdi Sharifi, a research scientist with AAFC who investigates cover crops in vineyards in BC, he spelled out the link between more organic production and more cover crops. In the dry regional conditions, growers can usually manage disease organically. But fertility is another question, and this is where cover crops come into the picture. 

Dr. Sharifi, who is based in Summerland, BC, explained that grapes don’t need that much nitrogen – 100 kg per hectare for mature vines – when you compare to some field crops. Organic growers can get the nitrogen they need from cover crops, as well as a suite of other benefits. They are especially important in the Okanagan Valley soil, which is very sandy with low water- and nutrient-holding capacity.  

During a field day at Covert Farms Family Estate in 2022, Dr. Sharifi explained the myriad reasons vineyard managers would choose to plant cover crops and encouraged them to identify the goals that are most important to them. First of all are the soil benefits: adding soil carbon and organic matter, sequestering carbon, improving the nutrient and water holding capacity of the sandy soils, preventing erosion, and feeding the soil organisms. And of course, nitrogen fixation by legumes.