Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Question:

Hello,

I’m starting an organic micro-farm in northern Indiana.  The first season is going to be the spring of 2010.  I’m wanting to plant a cover crop and a friend of mine that runs a micro-farm in Colorado recommended you to me and said that I should email or give you a call.  I have two plots that I’ve tilled.  One plot is approximately 80′x40′ and the second is 36′x36′.  Both  plots do contain some clay soil.  What  do you recommend as far as a cover crop for northern Indiana?  And how much seed should I order from you?

Thank you very much for your time.

Answer:

Congratulations on your new farm!
Assuming you have very low temperatures in Indiana I would say one possibility would be our Cold Zone Soil Builder Mix.  It is made up of 85% Hairy Vetch and 15% Cereal Rye which can handle temperatures below 20 degrees fahrenheit.  It’s hardy and in combination with inoculant, will fix nitrogen that will be plant available.  The Hairy Vetch does need 55-60 degrees to germinate.  Rye can germinate down to 34F.  Red Clover is another possibility.  I’ve listed a couple pages from our catalog on the website that you can look over.

http://www.groworganic.com/item_SCM130_Cold_Zone_Soil_Builder_Mix__Raw_.html

http://www.groworganic.com/item_SCN395_Cereal_Rye_Lb.html

http://www.groworganic.com/item_SCL330_Red_Clover__Doublecut__Rhizocoat.html

The Red Clover can tolerate down to 0 degrees.  You have many choices if you wanted to plant in early spring but these three I’ve listed should be ok to plant now.  I wouldn’t wait to long to get them in the ground.

You have a total of 4,496 square feet so if you went with the Cold Zone Soil Builder you would need. 12-15 lbs.  The Red Double-cut Clover would be 5-6 lbs.

Hope this helps

by Amber TIppett, PV Store Manager & Willow Hein, FreshmanFarmer & PV employee

“Cover Crop” is a general term referring to a crop grown to cover and protect the soil. The term “Green Manure” would more specifically apply to a Cover Crop grown with the intent to till back into the soil. Below we’ve outlined a few Cover Crop Solutions for clay or compacted soils, vegetable bed rotations & erosion control. Looking for more solutions? Check out our Cover Crop Solution Finder.

Cover Crops (or, “Green Manure” crops) for Clay or Compacted Soil

Planting cover crops is an excellent way to help break up compacted and clay soils. Plant something with a large taproot, or deep reaching root system that can penetrate the hard soil or compacted soil pan. Examples of these include Bell Beans (SCL700), Winter Rye (SCN395), Rape (SCN900), Daikon (SCN112) and Mustard (SCN755 or SCN750). You’ll want to plant these cool weather crops in the fall after the first rains when the soil is softer and can be tilled and prepared for planting. The cover crops will grow all winter, and then can be turned in during the spring to add organic matter to the soil. The cover cropped area can then be planted with vegetable or ornamental crops, or planted with a summer cover crop to continue breaking up the soil if it is still too compacted. Examples of good summer cover crops for this purpose are Crotolaria Juncea (SCL815) and Sesbania (SCL855). You will need to irrigate these crops through the summer if you live in an area where it doesn’t rain.

Cover Crops (or, “Green Manure” crops) to plant in a Vegetable Rotation

Planting a winter cover crop is a great way to replenish your soil after a season of vegetable or production cropping. You want something that will fix nitrogen back into the soil, hold the soil in place during winter storms, and grow vigorously for maximum organic matter and weed suppression. Peaceful Valley carries a great cool weather cover crop mix (Soil Builder SCM120, SCM121) which contains bell beans, winter peas, purple vetch, common vetch, and cayuse oats, a blend that addresses all the above-mentioned needs. The bell beans, peas, and vetches are legumes that fix nitrogen from the air through a symbiotic relationship with a group of naturally occurring soil bacteria known as rhizobacteria. The bacteria form nodules on the roots of the plants and convert gaseous nitrogen into plant-usable nitrogen. Be sure to inoculate (ISE350, ISE505, ISE500) your seed with the rhizobacteria before you plant it to make sure this process happens in your cover crop. The oats provide scaffolding for the vetch to climb up and have fibrous root systems that suppress weeds and help with erosion control. Other great cover crops for the winter include clovers and alfalfa.

Cover Crops for Erosion Control

Erosion of hillsides can be a major problem in some areas, and should be a concern to anyone who wishes to protect valuable topsoil. Erosion control mixes typically consist of annual grasses and clovers that have extensive root systems and strong reseeding abilities. The Premium Erosion Mix (SEC300) has wildflowers in the mix to enhance the beauty of the area. Individual varieties of seed for erosion control include Crimson Clover (SCL310), Ryegrass (SCG560), BlandoBbrome (SCG150), and Zorro Fescue (SCG299). Timing is an important issue in establishing an erosion crop. It should be planted in the Fall while the soil is still warm, and be given supplemental irrigation until the natural rains can take over. If supplemental irrigation cannot be provided, the area should be covered with Jute Netting (EC400) after it is seeded. If irrigation will be provided year round, then perennial grasses or clovers can be planted instead of annuals.

PVFS Customer Question with Staff Response.

Question:

Hi, I am a bit overwhelmed with cover crops. I have a raised bed garden that is 5-years old and I feel it is time to plant a cover crop for this soil. Every year I put in my compost, but have never done the cover crop thing. Can you give me any suggestions? It is 24 sq. ft. and I have had an increase in bad bugs: cabbage worms, snails and cucumber beetles to name the predominant. Also, my tomatoes that usually do really well were less than stellar this year. It could be the cooler, wet weather we had this season, but I would think the fixing of nitrogen could only help. So, please let me know what you think I should do. Thanks so much.

Answer:

Don’t be overwhelmed! It’s true that there are a lot of choices for cover cropping, but when you narrow down the focus, it becomes more clear about how to handle it. Sounds like you want a “green manure” crop; that is, you want to grow something with the intent to till it back into the soil. It will fix nitrogen, stabilize the soil, encourage microorganism activity, add organic matter, etc. Please read the Peaceful Valley literature (here) on the topic for information on planting and more.

Our most popular green manure mix is called the Soil Builder Mix. Using Inoculant will ensure that your crop produces the most amount of Nitrogen possible. A couple of suggestions for your tomato and pest problems is to be sure to clean up the garden after the season (ie-remove leaves, debris, etc.), and be sure to rotate your crops every year.

Hope that helps and thank you for growing organically!

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Hi,

Can you suggest a ground cover for the summer for my five raised beds? I want to enrich weak soil and give the beds a rest for the rest of the year.

In the past I’ve used green manure for the winter for the soil on the ground. Is there anything like that for raised beds?

Thank You!

Regular readers of this blog will remember the GGP I started back in November.  The cover crop came up beautifully, and the result was a rich, fertile soil, which was moist and pliable.  After renting a rototiller from Gold N Green rentals 2 weeks ago, I spent about 3 hours with a huge, self propelled machine, tearing up my front and back yards.  Word of advice: take frequent breaks; your arms will thank you.  The vibrations from that machine caused my forearms to ache for days — and the grass allergy I didn’t know I had helped too.

We are now in the middle of waiting for the cover crop to finish decomposing; about a 4 or 5 week process.  Once that is done, we can start installing the irrigation system and prepping the beds.  The goal is to have our seeds in the ground by mid-May.  Stay tuned for updates.