Mitigation of nonpoint source Phosphorus (P) pollution is a worldwide challenge. Among a large range of best or beneficial P management practices (BMPs), plant-related strategies such as crop stubble preservation, cover crops, and vegetated riparian buffers are consistently a priority of soil and water conservation programs. The goals of this review were to clarify the impacts of cover crops and crop residues on water quality in cold climates, to discuss the drivers and the importance of cover crops and crop residues in P losses under various bio geophysical conditions, and to shed light on the future research needs for crop management in cold climate.