Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

PVFS Customer Question with Staff Response:

Question
Hi,
I have a 85′ X 100′ fenced orchard area that doubles as a chicken yard. I want to plant a cover crop to enrich the soil. Then I want to plant your chicken field mix. Which cover crop would be safe to share with chickens? I was going to broadcast it by hand and attempt to lightly rake it in. I live up near Susanville, CA on a southern facing gentle slope. I can irrigate a few times with a hose and sprinkler.

Thank you,

Answer
Hi,

When you say that you want the cover crop to enrich the soil, do you mean that you are planning to till it in later on? Usually, a green manure crop to enrich the soil is one that you grow then incorporate back into the soil so that the organic matter breaks down and releases all the nutrients it accumulated. That is considered the best way to build up your soil for future crops, including the Omega 3 Chicken Forage Blend. If that’s what you want to do, you would choose an annual cool season crop such as the Soil Builder Mix, plant it now (although you might not get a lot of growth until Spring, since the soil is cool), and till it under (roto-till, double dig, etc.) and wait 4-8 weeks before planting your chicken pasture.

As far as a cover crop to grow with a chicken pasture seed, I don’t think that would be a good idea. The blend itself is good for the soil (it has clovers, cowpeas, and alfalfa which are all Nitrogen fixers) and as long as you prepare the soil before hand by sowing a green manure crop or adding compost and fertilizer, it will grow well.

The Omega-3 mix is an irrigated mix, by the way, so you’ll have to water it probably a couple times a week through the dry times (depending on your soil, natural rainfall, etc.).

Give me a call if you want to discuss this any further.
Hope that helps and thank you for growing organically!

A PVFS Customer Question – Staff response

Question:

Howdy,

we live in the North Cascades Mtns. on the east side of the crest and are wondering if the Organic Soil Builder Mix would be appropriate for this climate in the winter.  In the past we have used buckwheat in the summer and winter rye in the winter.  For the winter cover crop we plant by mid-October.

Generally speaking we get snow on the ground by Thanksgiving and it melts off the gardens by March/April.  The coldest temps are usually down to 0 F and mostly in the teens and twenties.

thank you for your advice!

Answer:

Unfortunately the Soil Builder mix will not work for your area unless protected.  We do carry a “Cold zone” soil builder mix but it needs to be planted while the soil temp is pretty warm still (about 55) so the hairy vetch can germinate.

Hope that helps and thank you for growing organically!

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!

The mornings have been cool, and I’m finally sleeping through the night without waking up in a torpor from heat induced dreams.

Thus I know that fall is here, and I can plant cover crop in my newly double-dug beds.  It’s been quite a process this summer of preparing rocky clay ground for growing, and I was anxious to finish in time to plant our soil builder mix, and get a good start on my garden next year.

With grandiose thoughts in my head of 6 foot tall legumes fixing pounds of nitrogen by December I scattered the seed and gave it a thorough watering.  I chanted Wendell Barry’s poem “Enriching the Earth” over the seeds for good measure.  The next morning….. who should arrive but thousands of ravenous birds, eating the delicious oat, pea , bean, and vetch seeds laid out so nicely for them.  A perfect fall breakfast!

Determined to fight back, I’m putting up some bird scare tape.  The red and silver kind that they think is fire.  It is still fire season here after all. Hopefully they’ll retreat into the hills.