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Fall almost completed….

by | Oct 29, 2012

The farm is almost ready to be put to bed for winter. I spent this past week tearing down gardens and planting our winter cover crops in an effort to make the most of the coming rain with the big storm Sandy.

I planted a variety of cover crops this year. The gardens that had more weed pressure this past season I planted winter rye pretty thick. We have had good results of very little weed  presence the season following rye. A couple of gardens that were planted a month ago got a mix of rye and crimson clover (pictured below), this is a great weed suppressor and nitrogen addition mix to grow.

Pictured: Immature winter rye and crimson clover with summer buckwheat breaking through.

One of the new gardens that has some poor drainage issues I planted daikon radishes and clover. The radishes grow over 12″ deep (looks like a giant carrot), their nickname is groundhog radishes because they root around and open the soil. When left to rot in spring they leave these great creases in the soil.

I also planted rye in the pathways of our fall planted spring blooming garden- an experiment. Spring will reveal if it worked.

One garden that has OK weed control I planted straight clover to get the maximum nitrogen benefit.

Winter cover crops suppress weeds, provide cover for the beneficial bugs and creatures, builds the soil with organic matter, opens compacted soil, and adds nitrogen.

Winter is coming!

Lisa