The Easiest Cover Crops
(Page 2 of 2)
October/November 2002
By Chirs Blanchard
To sow the seeds, take a handful of seeds from the bag and fling them in front of your body in a fanning motion, letting the seeds roll clown your fingers. Aim for about two seeds per square inch—but don't worry if you don't hit that precise goal. Planting a cover crop isn't an exact science, and scattering fewer or more seeds won't hurt a thing.
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If you have difficulty getting even coverage, try seeding half the crop walking in one direction, and then seed perpendicularly across your original path. If you have late-season crops like Brussels sprouts or kale, just scatter seeds under the plants' leaves, and the cover crop will come along as the other crops are harvested.
After seeding, rake the seeds with a garden or landscaping rake. Try to bury most of the seeds one-half to 1 inch below the soil surface, but don't worry if some seeds are lying on top of the ground. Then irrigate with a hose or sprinkler to provide a final covering and keep the ground moist until germination. Or you can wait for rain, which is what most farmers do.
By spring, a winterkilled cover crop may be almost gone, or a great deal of residue might remain. Your springtime strategy depends on how much residue is left, and what you plan to grow in that spot. Remove or work in cover crop residues early where you want to plant crops that go in first, such as peas, or crops that benefit from warm soils, such as tomatoes.
What Cover Crops Can Do
Feed soil life. Think of cover crops as little solar-energy factories using sunlight to transform water and carbon dioxide into leaves and roots, which release carbohydrates and other compounds to sustain the soil microbes, earthworms and other fauna that make soil fertile. Nutrients constantly cycle through plants and back into the soil; cover crops keep this cycle going when you aren't growing other crops.
Protect soil life. Without plant cover or mulch for protection, beneficial soil microbes can be killed by ultraviolet radiation and extreme temperature swings.
Prevent erosion. Bare soil also is vulnerable to erosion. Even on relatively flat ground, winter rains still can wash away topsoil.
Prevent weeds. Fast-growing fall cover crops out compete late-season weeds like quack grass and chickweed.
Restore beauty. Lush, green cover crops are prettier than bare, empty garden beds.
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