building soil with cover crops

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(I was hoping for a category called "soil" or "crops")

I'm moving on to some property where herbicides were the rule. They also grew grass hay for years and years and sold it. Now the soil is more like dirt. I need to work organic matter back in.

I am going to start a massive composting program, but since I'm a no-till person, I would like to start building the soil before I can lay any compost down.

I'm planning on setting aside a few patches for next year's crops: corn, wheat, etc. I'm thinking of starting with buckwheat to wipe out what is there now and get some deep roots into the soil. I would then like to move on to some deep rooted legumes. Since corn is such a nitrogen pig, I would like to have a round of legumes that might boost the nitrogen level real well before I plant the corn next year. Hairy vetch?

Any suggestions?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), April 10, 2001

Answers

We have wild buckwheat in our area that is a real menace. Because of that I would recommend that you DO NOT let any cover crops go to seed since they might reseed themselves in subsequent years.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 10, 2001.

clover and composted manure for building nitrogen. vermiculture for soil conditioning.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

Wild buckwheat: what zone are you in? Will buckwheat grow wild in zone 5?

Worms: To build vermiculture, won't I need a lot of worm food? Won't the worms feast on the dead buckwheat roots? It seems that before worms will really set up camp, I need to add a lot of organic matter to the soil.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), April 10, 2001.


dont worry about buckwheat going wild in zone 5. I let mine go to seed all summer long,, and only have some come back the next year. Seems every critter loves eating it,, Ive yet to be able to get enough seed harvested to make flour,,(love buckwheat pancakes) Actually,,I wish it would go wild around here

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 10, 2001.

Paul, I've used buckwheat in the past to loosen up clay soil. It is an annual and is self sowing. The good thing about it is that you can plant it now...others are best sowed in the fall. I live in z5. I never really had much problem controlling it, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't become a "menace." I guess you need to cut it immediately after it blooms.

-- JimR (jroberts1@cas.org), April 10, 2001.


Try reading "New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman. It is an excellent book for small farmers who wish to farm using organic methods. There is an extensive discussion on using cover crops (green manures) in a crop rotation. His discussion on undersowing of cover crops is excellent.

-- Marty Palange (MPalange@ahmail.com), April 10, 2001.

Anybody have much experience with "annual alfalfa"? Apparently it isn't winter hardy and it grows much faster than the varieties that are winter hardy.

In some of my web research, some folks claim that buckwheat does not dig very deep into the soil. The article mentioned that buckwheat digging deep is a myth. And since buckwheat is not a legume, it depletes nitrogen from the soil.

I'm now thinking that buckwheat is good for just one thing: weed control.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), April 10, 2001.


I'm in zone 6 and we have a lot of problems in the area with wild buckwheat. Maybe one zone can make a difference.

There are recommendations of using Austrian Peas as soil builder around here. The seed is terribly high in cost though as far as I'm concerned.

Wheat can be used for a soil builder if sown thickly then turned under after there is several inches of top growth, and yes it will use up some nitrogen.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), April 11, 2001.


In buckwheat's defense, when you let it flower and go to seed, the honeybees and beneficial insects LOVE it. I grow some around the border of my garden just for this purpose.

-- vicki g. in NW ohio (thga76@aol.com), April 11, 2001.

Parts of the area I live in have very rocky soil and needs to be built up to grow anything. Some people have allowed the horse farms to dump manure and shavings as organic matter. I know its high in urine salts, but its a start. They also allow gardeners to dump trimmings and grass clippings to be composted.

Also, our local soil conservation office works with people wanting to plant cover crops, and I believe the seed is free or at a nominal fee. That might be something to look into for your area.

jennifer

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), April 11, 2001.



Paul -

About the worms... do you get newspapers? use paper towels? have vegetable scraps or meat scraps? Anything that was once alive can be used for worm food. Even sawdust. I bed mine in hand=shredded newspapers and keep them under my rabbits. They still manage to eat most of my leftovers that don't go to dogs, cats, etc. They are sort of like fish in that they generally haven't (in MY case) over populated their food supply. Since I DO feed a lot to the other animals, they subsist mainly on newspapers and peels.

Have you looked at the book called "Lasagna Gardening" that is a WONDERFUL no-till method.

For improving the soil - forgot who said it, but the comment about not letting it go to seed is 1000% correct. Especially if you plant any 're-seeding' annuals. Alfalfa, unless you have livestock that eat it is a major no-no, though its great for the soil. Two reasons: first, it is perennial (you may find you still have it...) and second, if you don't keep it cut, it will spread because it reseeds itself so easily.

Any leftover plant stock from your veggie garden can be tilled directly into the soil in fall with the exception of stuff from the nightshade family (eggplant, tomato, potato, etc). Nightshades must be composted. Leaves and weeds are great - so long as they don't have seed. Pine needles and grass clippings are wonderful. All will provide the carbon needed. The pine and grass make great mulches as well!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 11, 2001.


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