Long term cover crops?

[Ruderunner]

I dont know why but when I do tarp of a bed. The worms seem to love it. when you untarp in Spring crazy amount of them

Do you tarp over winter?

There's a nearby farm that had their zucchini rows covered in black plastic all season. I'll have to ask how that worked for them.

 

[Mr_Yan]

I had diakon radish get out of hand in my garden this year. It did go to seed and dropped seeds. Now I have the second generation germinating where the seeds fell (second gen, same year as initial seeding).

I don't know whether they will be a problem and invasive or not as this is only the first year. But man will I have a lot of seed in and on the ground.

Is red clover a perennial? I know cover and forage mixes with red clover are readily available.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Do you tarp over winter?

There's a nearby farm that had their zucchini rows covered in black plastic all season. I'll have to ask how that worked for them.

I know a lot of the plastic tarps are not UV stable and will become a brittle mess to remove after a season.

 

[big rockpile]

I thought about putting clear plastic down to kill weeds but it would get too hot for worms microbs and such.

I work next to the Extension Center so taking a sample in is no problem.

I have 5 different areas that have different needs but most look so good.

Problem areas I've learned so much the last few months.

I'm so use to taking care of hundreds of acres and have done it like everyone else.

big rockpile

 

[Meadowlark]

I had diakon radish get out of hand in my garden this year. It did go to seed and dropped seeds. Now I have the second generation germinating where the seeds fell (second gen, same year as initial seeding).

I don't know whether they will be a problem and invasive or not as this is only the first year. But man will I have a lot of seed in and on the ground.

Is red clover a perennial? I know cover and forage mixes with red clover are readily available.

I would consider that a blessing indeed, I use Daikon radish as part of cover crop every year.

Check this out "

• Use it to prevent soil compaction, which then allows soil to absorb more rainfall.
• Daikon radish has strong and deep tap roots, which have been shown to be four times more effective to help corn roots to penetrate compacted subsoil than winter fallow, and two times more effective than a rye cover crop2."

Yes, crimson clover can come back each year depending on going to seed.

 

[Meadowlark]

I thought about putting clear plastic down to kill weeds but it would get too hot for worms microbs and such.

For once, we agree. Personally I hate plastic and what it does to the soil. It kills everything indiscriminately good or bad.

I think my next little experiment will be on the effects of solarization of garden soil.

 

[skinyea]

Do you tarp over winter?

There's a nearby farm that had their zucchini rows covered in black plastic all season. I'll have to ask how that worked for them.

I used to, now I tend to cover crop now. but every year I bed goes later than expected (a good thing) that it ends up being too late to cover crop. I will try rye, and if it takes awesome, but if not I will tarp.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I had thought about regular potatoes but didn't think the greens would get dense enough

I found that digging to plant, then earthing up did most weeds and by then the foliage is pretty thick. Now I don't earth up so much as lift the foliage and mulch heavily with grass cuttings, beats the weeds and keeps the ground damp, which the potatoes like.

 

[redback]

Winter has just passed, and I let all the weeds grow untamed. A lot of them grew extremely high - say five-foot six high and some of them on gravelly, unfertilized soil. There were multiple species of tall grass and two main tall weeds (milk thistle, mallow). I satisfied myself that the microbes are able to fertilize plants if there are multiple species densely growing together.
Now I'm struggling to get them down whilst simultaneously planting the Spring vegetables. Groan.

 

[Ruderunner]

I guess this brings up the question, is it bad to let it go wild? Assuming things will get chopped and tilled in.

Seems similar to green manure, though far less deliberate.

 

[Meadowlark]

I guess this brings up the question, is it bad to let it go wild? Assuming things will get chopped and tilled in.

Seems similar to green manure, though far less deliberate.

If the wild plants go to seed, yes it can be bad, very bad.

My garden space now was originally part of a hay field over 40 years ago. When I first started trying to grow veggies in it, it was a nightmare of weeds. My first year I literally lost the veggie crop completely to weeds...and I'm no lazy gardener.

As years passed, I learned that the use of cover crops substantially reduced the weed problem...and other problems as well. Today, that former hay field soil is virtually weed free. It is never ever allowed to go fallow which in my opinion would require starting the whole process all over again... something I have no interest in doing.

Yes, green manure is a good thing, even a great thing in my estimation but if weed control is important to you, then make sure the soil is always under some protective cover crop or producing plants. If you don't mind the weeds, then let it go.

 

[Ruderunner]

Good point. I wasn't thinking about weed seeds, just the veggie seeds that are present.

 

[PGB1]

I've covered areas where I don't want anything growing (such as your non-used garden areas) with a layer of flattened cardboard shipping boxes. I cover them with a thin layer of soil.

Flattened cardboard boxes last at least a year and nothing grows. The soil is to hold it down in wind and make it less ugly, but when it gets wet, it won't blow away even without dirt on top. The dirt layer is thin enough that nothing grows.

If you know that the ink on the cardboard is safe (most ink in USA is safe & soy based), you can till the cardboard right into the soil next time you want to plant.

Paul

 

[Oliver Buckle]

If you know that the ink on the cardboard is safe (most ink in USA is safe & soy based), you can till the cardboard right into the soil next time you want to plant.

We see a lot of cardboard that is recycled and contains plastics.

 

[redback]

My experiment using weeds as - companion plants, pest protection and predator habitat, wind breaks, mulch (when pulled) and multi-species cover crop was a mixed success.
On the good side I have masses of excellent compost brewing, certain crops like broad beans celery and brassicas did well as long as I kept the weeds below their height.
On the downside the early spring growth spurt was too much to handle alone, and I had to get help to bring the wild weeds back to ground level. Root crops didn't grow at all because the weeds robbed their sunlight.
Would I do it again? No. What to do next?
Main paths to be repaved with underlay to be weed free. Extend chook fencing to three other areas so they do more of the vege garden weeding. Buy a good whipper-snipper/brush cutter and get the weeds down before spring in ornamental areas.
The broad beans are the winners as a winter cover crop because they easily suppress all the weeds and, although tall are easily managed. When you do fell them, they rot quickly and easily. They are good for the soil. They might provide a summer mulch that suppresses the weed growth - I'm not sure.