When broadcasting an area that has a healthy population of bugs, you might add cracked corn to the mix. It obviously won't germinate but it's cheap and will distract the seed eaters while the expensive seed germinates. It's also bright yellow which helps you see if your coverage is even.
Cover crop that is a cash crop is spinach! I seed high density spinach into my cleared squash beds end of September (bc rockies, zone 5a) and they grow a little before snow (end of November) then reappear late March I mow them mid April to clear dead leaves, quick handweed, and 2 weeks later i get fantastic spinach harvest 3 weeks sooner than spring seeded. Leaves are sweet enough to ice a cake and the soil is fantastic! Will bolt end of may
@@DLong-wp8su my goto spinach is 'Space'. Our winters often hit -25c for a week or two at a time (-35 last winter -no problem). We usually have .5meter to 1.5meter of snow for protection. I don't mulch them at all, this just seems to slow down spring thaw.
@@chriskimber7179 Thanks. Will give a try next spring because hard to get seed locally this time a year. I found some online, but too expensive ($8 for 200seeds).
@DLong-wp8su johnnyseed sells inlarger quantities for very good price. As a market farmer i buy in .5lb quantites, but spinach seed keeps well for a few years
Home gardener here. Trying to establish a new planting space. Used a bag of field peas from the grocery store and a deer food plot mix of brassicas and grains as my cover crops. They’re up and growing and I’m pretty excited about it 🤓
@@ajb.822field peas are black eyed peas. I'm a home gardener and did the same with a bag of black eyed peas from Goya and a bag of mustard seeds from the Indian market.
For me it was a section of my lawn so I put cardboard down to kill the grass and then tilled it with a used Ryobi electric tiller that I bought online. Not planning on using the tiller after the beds are established.
Three years ago I broadcasted 15 kilograms of spelt seed on 300 sq m in octobre, next summer I paid a neighbouring farmer 20 euros to harvest it with his 1970’s combine harvester (“she still works and is all paid off so why buy a new one?”), and he harvested about 120 kilograms of reusable seed that is still my go-to fall cover crop.
It would seem the key paragraph on the article version you supplied is; "Leguminous cover crops showed a 9.8% yield increase compared to non-leguminous cover crops - like rye, oat, canola and mixture cover crops - which showed no statistical significance. Additionally, introducing leguminous cover crops without fertilizing main crops resulted in a 21.8% yield increase."
I bought a big bag of sugar snap peas to serve as a cover crop this spring, that I'll hopefully get a few snacks off of in my small garden, I mean it's my entire front yard but compared to your backyard it's considered small. I just scrapped all the sod layer away and added it to my compost but now I need something to cover that patch of dirt, I probably won't get amazing results since it's a big chunk of red clay and rocks and I don't have much of a budget for bringing in different soil but might as well try and keep my hopes low so I'll be happy with whatever the outcome is haha. I appreciate the work/ content.
greatly informative video per usual, TYSM Jesse. I do posit that the more species in the mix the more (than a proportional split) of the seed you can add, since polyculture intensely improves individual species' vigor
I'm in So Md and just whirlybird spread rye in our fields and wheat in some others. And crimson clover in a garden spot. Crossed fingers for a good rain.
This fall I'm sewing my cover crop seeds like Fukuoka "one straw revolution"/"sowing seeds in the desert" by making a seed mix with microrhyzal fungus inoculation in small clay balls to broadcast in the current crop then brush hog the current crop. The clay protects seed against predators and gives them water absorption plus the clay ball making process primes the seed. I'll see how it goes. Prior years I tried naked broadcast that basically did nothing and disk the ground, naked broadcast, and raked in the seed in the soil which works as expected. I'm hoping the clay balls work because that allows me to sew the next crop even before I'm ready to harvest the current crop. Better cycle time.
I plan on growing Cereal Rye then covering it up with a black plastic tarp 1st week of March so I can plant by the Middle of April. This way I get the root growth of the Rye and the ability to kill it completely before it gets tall and woody.
Good show, cheers Jesse. John Kempf recently interviewed by Dan Kittredge was talking about the 14 day window between germination and beneficials innoculation, and this is often the window where pathogens can infect the plant, but not express themselves until much later in the plants life cycle, and that he's developing a mineral suppliment seed spray/treatment to address this, he'd decreased dilution 10x (iirc!) and still not found the limit in trials, seeing faster germination and higher early photosynthesis, I'm trying this with my foliar spary for level 2 plant health pyramid protein synthesis on covercrop seeds this week (Mg, S, Mo, & B with humic to chelate and liquid kelp) could be another useful tool in the Regen box, interview is on Dans channel, Nerd out!
Still struggling with when to terminate production crops to establish cover crops in 4b. Thought barley was my answer for a fall planting late September in a cold climate. But had limited success last fall. Didn't establish as I had hoped.
Minor note @9:28 Equation should also include total area of that cover crop. Total seed order = (Total area with mix)*(Recommended seeding rate)/(# species in mix)
I feel like I'm missing a trick with no-till cover cropping: my current growing area is old mulch with some weeds and grass starting to grow in it, and the areas I'd like to plant in next year are established grass with some weeds. How do you get from that to the nice clean soil you're broadcasting your seeds into? The only way I can see is some kind of tilling.
Okay question regarding late season cashcrop & overwinter management: here in Vermont (I’m missing Virginia just a bit) my canning season doesn’t start until August, potatoes harvest in September, killing frost is expected by mid October. Plant growth slows excessively in September. For these areas (green beans, tomatoes, cruciferous, late peas/greens, etc) what’s better: leave crop residue, establish a hardy clover (balansa, winter berserk) or small grain (rye, wheat, triticale), or mulch?
Just wanted to share a little cover crop Termination method that you may find some interest in My zone is 5b upstate Ny cold wet springs . Last frost is may 21 I planted most of my farm in Vetch and rye some crimson clover and peas. I bought a Bcs with a power harrow used . I used it to knock the cover crop down in early may it was not mature. I sprayed it with some black strap molasses and fish emulsion. Tarped it for 2 weeks. It was still cold the area I used molasses were 100 percent dead . The beds I wanted to direct seed in to I put just enough compost to be able to run the seeder . I learned the compost method from Daniel Mays . This was a game changer for my garden and cover crop use . I set the power harrow 1/2 inch above the surface. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the tip! Also growing in upstate NY. I'm new to cover cropping and was wondering when you plant your cover crops? I just planted a mix over crimson clover and oats on 9/6 over where my potatoes and onions were.
Harvesting of the above-ground bulk, into compost piles/processes, to just make the soil/below soil work simpler for the following sowing/planting. Just a thought, and pros/cons?
@@notillgrowers sorry Jesse I've been building one of those polycarbonate greenhouses today, did my head, in just had a few beersez to sooth my nerves.
I'd like to use cover crops to improve soil that has grass/weeds on it currently, and then plan to plant wildflowers. Do I need to remove the grass first or do you til initially?
Which would I go with, winter hardy or winter kill when I’m not trying to plant crops at all garden wise. I’m just trying to work on erosion and regeneration of soil? Zone 8 South Carolina
I love your videos ---- but I live in zone 4 --- just barely on the north end. Many of the things you talk about do not fit my garden. Last frost is May 15---- and first is Sept. 15. Is there a resource that is like yours but more in line with our growing season?
Always helpful as I'm doing more cover crops and Thanks Also so surprised that other languages of the book isn't available here but only in the country that speak the language.I surpose Australians and the English would not understand our English and I'm from Kentucky so hill voice doesn't bother me. I've got buckwheat and big radishes in the ground planted 6a Mid Ohio thanks
Can it be stated as a BWFF in days as to when you should drop a winter kill covercrop? From what I am gleaning it seems you are kind of setting a 30 dayish kind of date? Enough to get full germination, not enough to allow going to seed.
does any one have any suggestions for some good winter kill cover crops for Reno, Nevada - high elevation dessert, i dont have a idea on crop plans for next season maybe peas and oats ? it gets down to negative 10 F around here so maybe oats won't winter kill what would be good to pair with the peas maybe selection.
Im confused as to the value about crops that never mature - why leave green residue ontop of the soil over winter? Nitrogen evaporates and that material mineralizes, is broken down by bacteria, rather than turned into humic substances which lipid-rich materials would be. Sure, having that layer is great in the spring but wouldnt humus be way better..?
Nitrogen fixation creates nitrogen compounds that the plants can make use of. Plants can't use nitrogen gas directly. It is bacteria that fixated the nitrogen.
The cover crops produce root exudates.. Supplying an excellent food source for your microbes. Also with a variety of cover crops you get a diversity of microbes.. The microbes that habitat and feed on legumes is different than cereal crops..
When broadcasting an area that has a healthy population of bugs, you might add cracked corn to the mix. It obviously won't germinate but it's cheap and will distract the seed eaters while the expensive seed germinates. It's also bright yellow which helps you see if your coverage is even.
Cover crop that is a cash crop is spinach!
I seed high density spinach into my cleared squash beds end of September (bc rockies, zone 5a) and they grow a little before snow (end of November) then reappear late March
I mow them mid April to clear dead leaves, quick handweed, and 2 weeks later i get fantastic spinach harvest 3 weeks sooner than spring seeded.
Leaves are sweet enough to ice a cake and the soil is fantastic!
Will bolt end of may
What kind of spinach are you growing? I am considering Winter Giant spinach, but not sure. The coldest temperature here is around 10F.
@@DLong-wp8su my goto spinach is 'Space'. Our winters often hit -25c for a week or two at a time (-35 last winter -no problem). We usually have .5meter to 1.5meter of snow for protection.
I don't mulch them at all, this just seems to slow down spring thaw.
@@chriskimber7179 Thanks. Will give a try next spring because hard to get seed locally this time a year. I found some online, but too expensive ($8 for 200seeds).
@DLong-wp8su johnnyseed sells inlarger quantities for very good price.
As a market farmer i buy in .5lb quantites, but spinach seed keeps well for a few years
No matter my mood, your innuendo amidst the valuable content brightens my day with a smile. Actually, you are hilarious and genius.
Home gardener here. Trying to establish a new planting space. Used a bag of field peas from the grocery store and a deer food plot mix of brassicas and grains as my cover crops. They’re up and growing and I’m pretty excited about it 🤓
Can I ask for more details on the peas u bought ? So I know what to look for ( assuming they don't say "field" on the bag/label.. ?). Thanks !
@@ajb.822 they were actually called field peas, but I’m sure lots of legumes would work
@@ajb.822field peas are black eyed peas. I'm a home gardener and did the same with a bag of black eyed peas from Goya and a bag of mustard seeds from the Indian market.
How did you prep the area first? I'm wanting to do the same.
For me it was a section of my lawn so I put cardboard down to kill the grass and then tilled it with a used Ryobi electric tiller that I bought online. Not planning on using the tiller after the beds are established.
Three years ago I broadcasted 15 kilograms of spelt seed on 300 sq m in octobre, next summer I paid a neighbouring farmer 20 euros to harvest it with his 1970’s combine harvester (“she still works and is all paid off so why buy a new one?”), and he harvested about 120 kilograms of reusable seed that is still my go-to fall cover crop.
That's an impressive harvest!
Cover crops are a canary in the kale mine.
VERY HELPFUL, THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR OF COVER CROPPING.
It would seem the key paragraph on the article version you supplied is;
"Leguminous cover crops showed a 9.8% yield increase compared to non-leguminous cover crops - like rye, oat, canola and mixture cover crops - which showed no statistical significance. Additionally, introducing leguminous cover crops without fertilizing main crops resulted in a 21.8% yield increase."
I love ALL No-Till Growers videos!
I bought a big bag of sugar snap peas to serve as a cover crop this spring, that I'll hopefully get a few snacks off of in my small garden, I mean it's my entire front yard but compared to your backyard it's considered small.
I just scrapped all the sod layer away and added it to my compost but now I need something to cover that patch of dirt, I probably won't get amazing results since it's a big chunk of red clay and rocks and I don't have much of a budget for bringing in different soil but might as well try and keep my hopes low so I'll be happy with whatever the outcome is haha.
I appreciate the work/ content.
greatly informative video per usual, TYSM Jesse.
I do posit that the more species in the mix the more (than a proportional split) of the seed you can add, since polyculture intensely improves individual species' vigor
Perfect timing! Getting ready to prep for cover crop here in mountain Maryland. Also - love your retirement plan!!!
Me too. I'm in Oldtown MD.
I'm in So Md and just whirlybird spread rye in our fields and wheat in some others. And crimson clover in a garden spot. Crossed fingers for a good rain.
This fall I'm sewing my cover crop seeds like Fukuoka "one straw revolution"/"sowing seeds in the desert" by making a seed mix with microrhyzal fungus inoculation in small clay balls to broadcast in the current crop then brush hog the current crop. The clay protects seed against predators and gives them water absorption plus the clay ball making process primes the seed. I'll see how it goes. Prior years I tried naked broadcast that basically did nothing and disk the ground, naked broadcast, and raked in the seed in the soil which works as expected. I'm hoping the clay balls work because that allows me to sew the next crop even before I'm ready to harvest the current crop. Better cycle time.
Clovers
Organic systems should plant 1/3 to 1/2 heavier to allow for some weed pressures.
Hope to find someday your book also translated in Romanian. I like a lot your topics on living soil and cover crops.👍
I plan on growing Cereal Rye then covering it up with a black plastic tarp 1st week of March so I can plant by the Middle of April.
This way I get the root growth of the Rye and the ability to kill it completely before it gets tall and woody.
i pulled some potatoes today... must be doing something right - worms, worms, worms... not in the taters, in the dirt... I'm smiling.
Good show, cheers Jesse. John Kempf recently interviewed by Dan Kittredge was talking about the 14 day window between germination and beneficials innoculation, and this is often the window where pathogens can infect the plant, but not express themselves until much later in the plants life cycle, and that he's developing a mineral suppliment seed spray/treatment to address this, he'd decreased dilution 10x (iirc!) and still not found the limit in trials, seeing faster germination and higher early photosynthesis, I'm trying this with my foliar spary for level 2 plant health pyramid protein synthesis on covercrop seeds this week (Mg, S, Mo, & B with humic to chelate and liquid kelp) could be another useful tool in the Regen box, interview is on Dans channel, Nerd out!
I want to grow wheat in florida and try to harvest it in spring. Not sure it will work. But would love the experiment of making flour.
Still struggling with when to terminate production crops to establish cover crops in 4b. Thought barley was my answer for a fall planting late September in a cold climate. But had limited success last fall. Didn't establish as I had hoped.
Thank you! Great information
Very inspiring farming
Book pre-ordered
Minor note @9:28
Equation should also include total area of that cover crop.
Total seed order = (Total area with mix)*(Recommended seeding rate)/(# species in mix)
I feel like I'm missing a trick with no-till cover cropping: my current growing area is old mulch with some weeds and grass starting to grow in it, and the areas I'd like to plant in next year are established grass with some weeds. How do you get from that to the nice clean soil you're broadcasting your seeds into? The only way I can see is some kind of tilling.
Okay question regarding late season cashcrop & overwinter management: here in Vermont (I’m missing Virginia just a bit) my canning season doesn’t start until August, potatoes harvest in September, killing frost is expected by mid October. Plant growth slows excessively in September. For these areas (green beans, tomatoes, cruciferous, late peas/greens, etc) what’s better: leave crop residue, establish a hardy clover (balansa, winter berserk) or small grain (rye, wheat, triticale), or mulch?
Just wanted to share a little cover crop
Termination method that you may find some interest in
My zone is 5b upstate Ny cold wet springs . Last frost is may 21
I planted most of my farm in Vetch and rye some crimson clover and peas.
I bought a Bcs with a power harrow used . I used it to knock the cover crop down in early may it was not mature. I sprayed it with some black strap molasses and fish emulsion. Tarped it for 2 weeks. It was still cold the area I used molasses were 100 percent dead . The beds I wanted to direct seed in to I put just enough compost to be able to run the seeder . I learned the compost method from Daniel Mays . This was a game changer for my garden and cover crop use .
I set the power harrow 1/2 inch above the surface. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the tip! Also growing in upstate NY. I'm new to cover cropping and was wondering when you plant your cover crops? I just planted a mix over crimson clover and oats on 9/6 over where my potatoes and onions were.
Harvesting of the above-ground bulk, into compost piles/processes, to just make the soil/below soil work simpler for the following sowing/planting. Just a thought, and pros/cons?
Are you guys an an organic or naturally grown farm?
How do you deal with pests?
Key ingredient is RAIN which we have none in Western Maryland!😢
Or southern Oregon
If anyone missed it canary in the Coleman, yay Eliot and Clara
Oh haha, not actually what I was going for but that works, too! I was thinking more 🥦 crops
@@notillgrowers sorry Jesse I've been building one of those polycarbonate greenhouses today, did my head, in just had a few beersez to sooth my nerves.
@@inthewebnotoftheweb Ha, appears to be a Kiwi. Should be tucked up in bed by now. Probably with a sheep or two. ✌️🇦🇺
What about Spread biochar on the ground before planting cover crops so you can keep the biodiversity longer ?
What cover crop might help to repair the damage I did by adding cottonwood leaves 2 years ago? My tomatoes haven't been the same!
I'd like to use cover crops to improve soil that has grass/weeds on it currently, and then plan to plant wildflowers. Do I need to remove the grass first or do you til initially?
Which would I go with, winter hardy or winter kill when I’m not trying to plant crops at all garden wise. I’m just trying to work on erosion and regeneration of soil? Zone 8 South Carolina
Thanks!
amazing, thank you!
What is a cover crop that would double as a perennial to replace front lawn? Our vetch is beautiful, but rather tall @ 24"
Any ideas if I already planted my overwinter cover crops too early. Could I weed whack it to help it to survive?
I love your videos ---- but I live in zone 4 --- just barely on the north end. Many of the things you talk about do not fit my garden. Last frost is May 15---- and first is Sept. 15. Is there a resource that is like yours but more in line with our growing season?
Would you ever use buckwheat as a winter killed cover?
Always helpful as I'm doing more cover crops and Thanks
Also so surprised that other languages of the book isn't available here but only in the country that speak the language.I surpose Australians and the English would not understand our English and I'm from Kentucky so hill voice doesn't bother me.
I've got buckwheat and big radishes in the ground planted 6a Mid Ohio thanks
letting my little bit of crimson clover go until i can collect seeds.The seeds seemed expensive to me.
Can it be stated as a BWFF in days as to when you should drop a winter kill covercrop? From what I am gleaning it seems you are kind of setting a 30 dayish kind of date? Enough to get full germination, not enough to allow going to seed.
I'm in an area with no freezes :(
does any one have any suggestions for some good winter kill cover crops for Reno, Nevada - high elevation dessert, i dont have a idea on crop plans for next season maybe peas and oats ? it gets down to negative 10 F around here so maybe oats won't winter kill what would be good to pair with the peas maybe selection.
sorghum or Sudan grass ?
❤
The seed farmer 11:00
Im confused as to the value about crops that never mature - why leave green residue ontop of the soil over winter? Nitrogen evaporates and that material mineralizes, is broken down by bacteria, rather than turned into humic substances which lipid-rich materials would be. Sure, having that layer is great in the spring but wouldnt humus be way better..?
Nitrogen fixation creates nitrogen compounds that the plants can make use of. Plants can't use nitrogen gas directly. It is bacteria that fixated the nitrogen.
Canary in the Coleman
Yeah what the others have said, it's all about belowground biomass here. The aboveground material is just a nice but light bonus.
The cover crops produce root exudates.. Supplying an excellent food source for your microbes. Also with a variety of cover crops you get a diversity of microbes.. The microbes that habitat and feed on legumes is different than cereal crops..
What is a cover crop that would double as a perennial to replace front lawn? Our vetch is beautiful, but rather tall @ 24"