Hit the Dirt; Cover Cropping

Cover cropping a method for improving the soil and recycling nutrients in a field has a long history is an important practice in maintaining the fertility of farmland. However with the rise of chemical intensive agriculture the use of synthetic fertilizers became widespread and the practice of cover cropping declined. Today however with a heightened awareness of our environmental quality in the long term sustainability of our farming systems cover cropping is making a comeback in U.S. agriculture and it is a management technique that makes just as good sense in our backyard gardens as a dozen large farms cover crops of crops grown specifically to fertilize or improve the soil. Also called Green maneuvers and catch crops they offer numerous benefits for the grower. They reduce the need to import fertilizer into your garden with the aid of the microbes in the soil. The green manure is mined the nutrients in the insoluble minerals in the soil when they are turned in and decompose these nutrients are then available to the plants grown later there and the legumes used as a cover crop and soil can gain quite a lot of the available nitrogen to the action of nitrogen fixing bacteria which flourish in the root nodules of legumes. These bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen which is abundant in the air into a form which the plants can use. The most productive these such as alfalfa has been capable of

fixing up to 250 pounds of nitrogen per acre which is equivalent to the nitrogen in more than one ton of commercial 10:10 and fertilizer. Other kinds of plans have been shown to be what's called Dynamic accumulators of other nutrients. That is they have the ability to gather higher concentrations of an element than other plants even in soil is deficient in that element. Good example are buckwheat and mustard for phosphorus. Cover crops also reduce erosion. The older garden plots left bare after crop was harvested is subject to the powerful erosional forces of nature. One hard rain on exposed soil can move tons of soil per acre here in down east Maine we certainly don't have topsoil to spare and to be careful to guard it as a precious resource it is a cover crop or Texas oil from the impact of the rain drops and the roots hold the soil in place preventing it from washing down slope. They cut down on the leeching of soil nutrients beyond the root zone of crops to water percolating down through the soil dissolves nutrients and carries them further down the soil profile and eventually out of reach of the plant roots and into the water table. Katz crops help lock up these nutrients in living tissue. Holding it for use for future crops. They help reduce

weed problems certain cover crops such as Buckwheat and Sudan grass grow quickly and thickly out competing virtually all other weedy plants. A succession of such green manure can smother an even persistent weeds which spread by underground runners. They help improve soil structure. I feel this is a really major benefit of green maneuvers the succulent leaves and stems agrement always break down to poor humus when tilled into the soil. This humus is the food of the soil organisms which are an integral part of a healthy soil and just one gram of humus rich soil there can be several billion bacteria a million fungi hundreds of thousands of algae and millions of acting of Messiah these these microbes agree polysaccharide glues which hold soil particles together in aggregates providing for good soil structure. In this way it helps ensure good aeration drainage and water retention the soils as well as resistance to erosion. What's more the above ground vegetation is only part of the picture. The extensive root system adds to the soil structure benefits and the root system can be quite extensive. It's been estimated that one ripe plant growing in good soil produces nearly 14 million roots with a combined length of three hundred eighty seven miles and six thousand six hundred three miles a

root hairs just in a single season. All those roots are probing down and breaking up any compacted Hardpan layers. You may have in your soil when these roots decompose they will leave all those miles of channels through which air and water can penetrate the soil. They enhance oil life 21 degree maneuvers creates conditions favorable for many kinds of beneficial soil microbes as well as those familiar soil tillers and Richards earthworms. They reduce disease by making cover crops part of our garden rotations. We keep things shuffled around for pests and diseases which flourish in repeated plantings of the same crop are kept in control. All in all green manures can make a big difference in our gardens and the plants and soil organisms most of the work. That's where like it should be tall and spread and tons of manure. There are number of cover crops that you can sow now which are established themselves nicely by for annual ryegrass notes are some of my favorites. They'll make good growth in the cool of the fall before being winter killed winter rye and winter wheat. However our winter hardy small grains which will put on new growth and come back in the spring until you told them under hairy Vetch silky clover and white sweet clover

all winter hardy legumes which will fix nitrogen for your soil both this fall and next season. That's a brief overview of some of the major cover crops that I know of which are sown this time of year and some future date will cover these crops in more detail as well as those you might want to sow in the spring and summer as green manures. So if you just filled up some ground as I discussed last week or looking to fill in the spaces where the beans are early lettuce or early carrots were thinking of one of these crops a try. One thing to keep in mind is it that in areas you'll be putting in early crops like peas next spring you might want to go with one of the cover crops which will winter Kail as that will be easy to work in next spring. Also I do know of some gardeners who find winter rye and some of the clover is actually quite difficult to turning completely in the spring as they seem to be quite persistently growing from their roots. Well good luck and happy planting. This has been Keep go far been hit the dirt. Please send me all comments and correspondence care. Are you next week.