What cover or "green manure" crops are you growing?

[Joel_BC]

I'm curious about what cover crops (or green-manure crops) people here are using. What are you growing? ... and any specific reasons for the choice of crop? How does it fit in with your general approach to fertilzation and soil building? And are there any covers you've grown in the past that you no longer use? (and why?)

I'm using fall rye, and have been for maybe the last six or seven years. Previously, I've used field peas, clover, and alfalfa. I'm letting my rye grow, but will probably cut it this week and maybe leave the roots undisturbed for another few weeks - then till the plants and cuttings in.

Can talk more about details if/when we get a discussion going. Happy gardening.

 

[BarredBuff]

Haven't used any yet, plan to use buckwheat..........

 

[SSDreamin]

Just picked up some clover (yellow clover). Really wanted some alfalfa too, then saw the price Guess that will have to wait a while!

Plans are to put in winter wheat, and possibly rye, this fall. All of these are first time experiments for us- we've never had the acreage to experiment with before, and are trying out things for pasture rotation for the cow(s), as well as green manure.

 

[Beekissed]

We use white dutch clover and really like the results. We plow it in on the raised permanent rows and leave it in the pathways and it makes for a great soil cover that doesn't get high and keeps down weed growth. Keeps the soil moist and covered in the garden, attracts bees and doesn't require mowing very often in the rows.

In the fall we reseed the tops of the rows but this year I'd like to do something a little different(still trying to convince Mom of trying something different). The deer love to graze the garden in the fall and the chickens love it as well.

 

[Joel_BC]

I've liked the fall rye because it's pretty easy to establish it and, the following spring, pretty easy to till it in. You can broadcast the seed in an area and either rake or harrow it in, depending on how large an area you've seeded and what kind of equipment you've got. You get it started ideally a month or longer before the threat of freezing temps and snow arrive. It over-winters well.

When you till it in, you can get the benefit of at least 95% rotting into the soil... in other words, you will not have much of it hanging on as weeds in your rows or beds. Then your soil is getting the benefit of the organic matter the crop provides. So it's easy in terms of incorporating it into the soil, too.

Field peas - if you innoculate the seed - probably put more nitrogen into the soil. But the plants are pretty coarse and we've found that until the tilled-in pieces actually break down, they can make it a bit more difficult to make drills or rows for smaller seed. Once you've established them in the first place, clover and especially alfalfa can be tough to eradicate (if you feel you want to do that) for making clean beds or rows. Some people probably wouldn't care about that... each to his or her own.

 

[Dawn419]

I'm just peeking over everyones shoulders to see what they use and why since I want to start using this method in the raised beds.

We now have fall planted garlic in one bed and I usually do a patch of mesclun mix greens, under cover, over the winter in the other bed and am wondering how or if these crops would affect what I could or shouldn't use.

 

[Joel_BC]

I'm just peeking over everyones shoulders to see what they use and why since I want to start using this method in the raised beds.

We now have fall planted garlic in one bed and I usually do a patch of mesclun mix greens, under cover, over the winter in the other bed and am wondering how or if these crops would affect what I could or shouldn't use.

I've never used a cover or green-manure crop in any raised-bed planting I've done.

So I looked it up on the internet, and here is a page I came up with. It may help:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/improving-raised-bed-garden-soil.html

 

[Dawn419]

Thank you for that link, Joel!

It answered everything for me and then some!

 

[pinkfox]

im planning on doing a cover clover in my raised veggie beds...not that i dont have enough clvoer around here as it is...but i figurein raised beds nitrogen fixing can be an issue and clover (or any legume) will help with that issue so at the end of the seaosn theyll get a top dressing of compost and rabbit poop, sprinkled with clover and topped with straw. i can "harvest" clover though the winter if it starts getting tall enough for the rabbits...then "till" it under in the spring before planting.
i like the ideaof growing a cover crop that i can also use for my critters. lol