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Post by FrostyTurnip on Mar 12, 2023 15:35:38 GMT -6
OOh! Me too, Chris. I have quite a few under lights and the hollyhocks in milk jugs outside have several. Stupid excited! (Yeah, except those won’t bloom til next year along with the shastas.) My poppies are still teeny weeny but theyr’e green, that color of hope. <3
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Post by chrysanthemum on Apr 4, 2023 20:39:57 GMT -6
I wanted to update this thread with some recent photos of my cover crops. The Austrian Winter Peas are being quite true to their name. They did well in winter. They are not enjoying the spring temperatures in Texas. The Crimson Clover has surprised me by not seeming to be as phased by the warmer temperatures we’ve been having, though I have been watering the bed quite often for the sake of the asparagus. The blooms have really started coming on in recent days. It’s a pleasure to see, though I haven’t been noting much bee activity so far.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Apr 4, 2023 20:51:11 GMT -6
Chrysanthemum,
Those are two of my favorite three cover crops. Have you ever tried Hairy Vetch? It's cold hardy and seems to still do well in warmer temperatures.
One of my favorite characteristics about the winter peas is that they certainly die when temperatures warm up, eliminating the necessity of killing them yourself when time and energy don't exist. That means you can use them for weed suppression in pumpkin and watermelon patches.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Apr 5, 2023 7:01:58 GMT -6
You are the reason that I gave Austrian Winter Peas a try. I hadn’t been familiar with them in person, but reading about them so often in your postings got me to look into them. I’m figuring that when they die, I’ll just leave the material in place (or move a bit of it to two neighboring raised beds where my daikon radish cover crop got killed too early) and then plant through it. I’ve been thinking of using the beds for zucchini and watermelon, so it sounds as though that might be a good plan. I have never tried hairy vetch. How much water do you find that it needs? I looked up some information and found an interesting graphic on it. It gives a map of the country that shows a comparison between Crimson Clover and Hairy Vetch. If I’m reading the map right, your location shows Hairy Vetch being superior. Mine shows it being viable or viable with irrigation (I’m often on the border of zones). I’m going to have to look into it more. www.sare.org/publications/managing-cover-crops-profitably/legume-cover-crops/hairy-vetch/
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Post by amyinowasso on Apr 5, 2023 10:17:04 GMT -6
Very interesting Chrysanthemum. I never found the map, lol. I read an article that said planting hairy vetch before tomatoes and incorporating it into the soil reduced disease by a significant amount. I also read a book that suggested planting it under fall broccoli to prevent weeds and take over the bed after broccoli was harvested.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Apr 7, 2023 18:36:04 GMT -6
I don't know how much water Hairy Vetch requires? I've never had to water it here. God could turn off the spigot any time, but so far this year we've already had 14.5" inches of rain and it's still too early to plant anything other than cabbage, onions, and potatoes.
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Post by john on Apr 17, 2023 7:23:55 GMT -6
Cover crops are amazing I just finished reading the book 'From Dirt to Soil' by Gabe Brown. Gabe has been growing at his farm for years with out any additional fertilizer inputs for years. (His fertilization is solely from his cover crops.) The big thing he preaches about is cover crop diversity. The more species you can blend together, the better. It helps break disease cycles, insect cycles and helps to mine up a broader array of nutrients from the soil.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 6, 2023 20:51:31 GMT -6
That sounds like an interesting book, John. Thanks for mentioning it. My crimson clover was beautiful while it was in bloom. It’s less beautiful now that it’s going to seed, but my asparagus in the same bed is ferning now and looking happy. I’m planning to let the clover decay and seed in place in the hopes that it will nourish the soil and perhaps grow again in the fall.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on May 7, 2023 8:53:51 GMT -6
That clover is wonderful, Chrysanthemum. I enlarged the photo to see it bigger. Very lush down in there! Thanks, for posting that.
Well, I'd better get out of here or I'll be late for Sunday School this morning. What a beautiful day!
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Post by rdback on Sept 17, 2023 13:44:24 GMT -6
Interesting study on root penetration of single variety cover crops versus mixtures.
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Post by woodeye on Sept 18, 2023 9:40:44 GMT -6
That's good info, rdback. I'm surprised that I didn't already know that. Not because I am smart and know lots of stuff, but because usually when I think something is correct it turns out to be incorrect. The same would go for this, I figured planting several varieties willy-nilly together would be the best.
Now I know, so I can cross out ignorance from my excuse list...Cool... 😎
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Post by rdback on Sept 21, 2023 9:26:31 GMT -6
...I figured planting several varieties willy-nilly together would be the best. I was of the same opinion, lol. I'm not sure how definitive that study was, but it's certainly food for thought!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Sept 21, 2023 21:03:12 GMT -6
Woodeye, You crack me up!
Rdback,
That was very interesting information. Until I read that, my brain leaned toward mixing things up, except that some crops get taller than others and would choke each other out, but other than that, it was surprising to read that. It also reminds me that it's time to start thinking seriously about getting my cover crop in the ground. Hopefully, the grasshoppers lay off pretty soon. Right now, they're still so thick here no seedlings would stand a chance.
On the other hand, if I wait too late, the roots will not be well enough established to survive the first hard freeze.
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