Cover Crops

Llama Gardener

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What is the best nitrogen fixing cover crop for fall/winter planting? Thanks

P.S. I live in Northeast Ohio and this is for next year.
 

digitS'

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I planted Austrian field peas one year in early September.

Probably less than 2% of the plants survived zone 5 winter temperatures. So, that wasn't very successful. I see that Oregon State University says that Austrian field peas are only rated to a zone 7 hardiness. I guess I proved that.

Looking around on the OSU site, it seems that this legume is the most adequately winter-hardy for some northern areas. It isn't adequate zone 5, however. I suspect that you don't have a zone 7 winter either but that's about all I can come up with.

Cereal rye has been a good cover crop for me but it fixes no nitrogen.

Steve
 

journey11

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I can't say which is the best, but you'll be looking for a legume.... clover, vetch, etc. Your county ag. ext. service can give you the best advice for your local area.

The winter wheat I planted last fall is still green and alive, but it stalls out growing during the winter. Not a nitrogen fixer but it has it's advantages. It's maybe 3-4" tall now, planted it in Oct. It helps hold back erosion and loss of nutrients in the soil. Then is tilled under in early spring before it takes off growing again (Feb/March) it will decompose and add tilth to the soil.

I also planted buckwheat for a green manure crop and for my bees, but it kills out when it frosts.
 

Llama Gardener

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Well I can't have buckwheat as my grandfather is deathly allergic.
 

digitS'

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I've grown hairy vetch with oats as a spring-sown hay crop.

Checked on it at OSU. Heck, they say hairy vetch is good thru a zone 4 winter!
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/em/em8695/

Red clover also! zone 4:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8701.pdf

Good call, Journey!

I've no experience with red clover other than looking at it in other people's fields and there's not much of it around here anymore. A perennial legume didn't occur to me but I suppose it could be of help, fall-sown and in a vegetable garden rotation.

Steve

edited to say: alfalfa is very slow growing and I can't see it working out as a cover crop.
 

hoodat

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I often see legumes recommended because of their nitrogen fixing properties but nitrogen is a "here today gone tomorrow" nutrient. I think adding organic matter is more important. If your soil has plenty of organic matter nitrogen kind of takes care of itself. Soil organisma can take it out of the air. Annual rye is a good crop for adding organic matter. Just turn it under before it goes to seed. It is less likely to become a problem weed than perrenial plants.
If your climate allows red clover is great. It not only addds bulk (and yes nitrogen) but if you let it go to flower it's great for the bees. You can also mow it and let it dry as an excellent hay for chicken and rabbit food.
 

vfem

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We use red clover... its wonderful for our orchard & grapes!

You got lots of great choices though!
 

Llama Gardener

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What I have come up with is this... Doing a spring and a summer crop (as we have too little time in the fall for processing the veggies as we are busy getting everything else ready for winter), then putting my compost on the raised beds (I make my own primarly out of llama manure+their beding hay, but kitchen scraps, weeds, and spent plants also make their way in there) and then oversowing a Sorghum-sudangras/Rape/Woollypod vetch mixture in my beds. Hopefully they won't go to seed, but if they do then I will weedwack them. (as I do no-till gardening) They are all have a Hardiness rating (7 to my 5b) that will discourage their becoming pests. Adding nitrogen, plus more organic matter, as Hoodat suggested, is my goal. Does this seem to be a resonable plan?

I chose the mix that I did from what I read in one of my books that I went through again this afternoon. It says that out of 1=worst-4=best that as a "subsoiler" (breaking up hardpans) that they (in order of how I listed them) are a 4, 4, and 3. As being "alleopatic" (releases natural weed supressing chemicals) 4, 3, and 2. In choking weeds they are 4, 3, and 4. And in ease of mow kill they are 3, 4, and 4. The first two are non legumes and the last is a legume. (Found in "Weedless Gardening" by Lee Reich on pages 48-51)

Thank you for all of your help! If you have anymore advice just pipe in! LOL!
 

hoodat

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Millet is also a good spring green manure crop. Turn it under just before it goes to seed. If you can't find millet seed just buy a cheap bag of wild bird seed. Most of it will be millet.
 

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