Display omitted •Including catch crops in maize rotation reduces nutrient leaching.•Catch crops showed a higher nutrient uptake (N and P) than spontaneous herbage.•Ensiling increases methane production potential for all catch crops assayed.•Catch crops as co-substrates improved the anaerobic digestion of manure. Three catch crop species, ryegrass, forage rape and black oat, were grown between successive rotations of maize to reduce nitrogen leaching due to maize fertilization with digested dairy manure. Catch crops showed a high nutrient uptake, but with a wide range, depending on the year and the specie. Ensiling was shown to be a feasible storing method increasing catch crop methane production per hectare between 14–36% compared with fresh catch crop. In semi-continuous co-digestion experiments, methane production was increased between 35–48%, in comparison with anaerobic digestion of dairy manure alone. Catch crops were shown to be a good co-substrate, being a sustainable option to prevent leaching of nutrients to the environment, thus closing the loops from production to utilization by optimal recycling measures.