[gburnett]

What type of Fall and cover crops do you all plant? Yesterday just before the rain came I was able to get in strips of Crimson Clover with Hairy Vetch,Giant Mustard Greens and a 2nd planting of Turnips.The first turnips are about 3 inches tall don't care for eating them myself but the hogs I'm raising to butcher this Winter love them.Will be planting Winter wheat later and some Mustard Greens with Hairy Vetch after the first frost in the garden.

 

[Vonrow]

Too cold up here to plant much of a winter cover... I use a systematic rotation of plant species each year to build the soil up. And massive amounts of compost.

 

[4season]

Last year I put some winter rye seed next to the drip tape. I should have tilled it in at a couple or 4 inches tall when it was tender. Cut it at a foot or more and used it as mulch. It did a good job as a spring windbreak.

 

[freedhardwoods]

For many years I have planted soybeans after sweet corn as a cover crop to add nitrogen. As I was researching sustainable seed, I stumbled onto several cover crop seed mixes.

I decided to go with Dundale peas and Bell beans. The beans have stiff stems that can support the climbing peas. They are supposed to grow "up to" 7' tall and add "as much as" 200 pounds of nitrogen to the soil.

Many of the mixes had some type of cereal grain in them. I may add that to my mix.

 

[gburnett]

That sounds like a great cover crop.Have you ever added Hairy vetch to the cc mix?

 

[77cruiser]

I've been trying this. Where I have my sweet corn I put down the leaves from the yard it usually ends up about a foot deep packed down, then in the spring they get tilled in the best I can get them, then plant soy beans, cut them down mid to late Aug. & plant annual rye grass. It ties up about 1/4 of the garden but it has helped the clay to soften a bit.

 

[freedhardwoods]

That sounds like a great cover crop.Have you ever added Hairy vetch to the cc mix?

I didn't explain myself very well. Next year will be the first time for my bean/pea mix. I just got the seed this week.

I am open to any options. I'll look into the Hairy Vetch.

 

[freedhardwoods]

I've been trying this. Where I have my sweet corn I put down the leaves from the yard it usually ends up about a foot deep packed down, then in the spring they get tilled in the best I can get them, then plant soy beans, cut them down mid to late Aug. & plant annual rye grass. It ties up about 1/4 of the garden but it has helped the clay to soften a bit.

That sounds like a good comprehensive plan.

 

[Schrader78]

I bought a mix of peas and oats last year for my raised bed when I was at the Mother Earth News Fair in PA. I didn't get enough so I put it on kinda thin and it still worked out well for me. Too bad I don't remember who I bought them from cause I want to buy more and the company I thought I got them from doesn't have them listed on the website. I was surprised how late into the winter they stayed alive. They didn't die off until the middle of Feb. The beds were really easy to dig this year.

 

[77cruiser]

Just thought I'd post a pic of the annual ryegrass cover in my garden.

 

[freedhardwoods]

I decided to try some "Groundhog" radish. I planted it a little late so I don't know how far along it will get. (Not me in the picture)

 

[Schrader78]

Finished digging my taters out today, good excuse to finally use the LGT145 and my newly purchased plow for it. Tomorrow gonna put my garlic in the ground. Last year I put 2 bulbs of Italian Red in the ground. That gave me 12 cloves and 12 healthy plants this year. I'm only replanting the best which is 3 bulbs. I haven't pulled the skins off so I don't know how many cloves till tomorrow. The rest are going into the dehydrator for storage since we use more granulated garlic than fresh.

 

[Schrader78]

Put 15 cloves of garlic in the ground today. Hope I get more than 3 good bulbs to replant next year.

 

[Cavry]

I was posting another thread but this fits here. I flipped over about 1/3 of my spot too, to spread llama manure coming this week-end. I'll disk that as soon as the manure is spread. I found 15 ft of red kennebecs I thought had drowned and rotted early this summer. Next I flipped and disked about 1/3 to cover. As I looked in the seed box I found some seeds from 2010 ( I keep about 3 years ahead on seed) spinach, loose-leaf lettuces, beets, rutabagas. Those I sowed sorta' in strips. The purple and 7 top turnips I broadcast over the rest. Parts not flipped yet will get the yard leaves and flipped in Dec. Fortunately the ground here rarely stays frozen long so I get to flip it 2 or 3 times over the winter. I do it just before a hard freeze, that seems to help kill grubs and Asian beetles. :1106:

 

[gburnett]

I picked all the Butternut Squash,Green Peppers and dug the Sweet Potatoes yesterday because they're calling for heavy frost tomorrow nite.Disked up the parts of the garden not in Mustard Greens and planted a variety of things that I've had left over turnips,Crimson Clover,Mustard greens,Collards and Lettuce for a cover crop also spread two loads of manure before disking.Will be adding wood ashes,lime and minerals over the Winter months.