Comments on: Cover me: the low-down on green manures

By: Brie

Brie — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:16:40 +0000

I also did my first crop of berseem and crimson clover a couple weeks ago. I’m very excited about how it looks so far…can’t wait for the blooms. It will probably be a little bit sad to turn it under.

By: Andrea Bellamy

Andrea Bellamy — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:29:34 +0000

Laurel – good luck!

Sally – this is my first time using cover crops too. I’m using a mix of legumes and clover. I’m excited to see how it works out in the spring.

Willi – Oh my! I never thought about chickens being a potential crop disturber. Good luck with that fence!

By: Willi

Willi — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:36:25 +0000

I planted crimson clover in my vegetable beds a couple of weeks ago and it germinated in just a few day…then my chickens ate it! So I’m planning on replanting tomorrow. And fortifying my fence!

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:20:58 +0000

Thanks for addressing this topic. I’m planning my first cover crop this year–red clover, based on a friend’s recommendation. Bought the seeds the other day and have to plant them before the ground freezes. Your suggestions for the spring are helpful.

By: Laurel

Laurel — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:33:02 +0000

Ya, pretty much what I came up with. Well, the property already has plenty of happy weeds on it, so I suppose I could add more to the Devil’s Acre ;)

Thanks Andrea!

By: Andrea Bellamy

Andrea Bellamy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:29:32 +0000

Laurel – Minus 4? Yikes! I hadn’t heard of curly dock being used as a green manure, but some quick googling turned up a bunch of stuff, mostly relating to using cover crops to force out weeds such as curly dock. Although it does have edible value if cooked, I don’t know that I’d plant it on purpose!

Anyone out there have experience with this?

By: Laurel

Laurel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:23:13 +0000

Unfortunately I haven’t planted anything for winter at all, but if I were working with an in-ground garden, then I would certainly go the way of green manures at the very least.

It is already bloody cold in my neck of the woods (minus 4 Celsius as I type this!!) but some of the plants are still kicking. I cut back the catnip a couple of weeks ago and it is still flowering. Weird!

Anyhoo, do you know anything about curly dock being used as a green manure? A nice girl donated a whole bunch of seeds for the community garden we are starting, and suggested it for a green manure. I know it is supposed to be good in compost, but have yet to see anything on it in the green manure department.

Cheers,

Laurel

By: Chuck Bartok

Chuck Bartok — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:43:52 +0000

Thanks for the article. We are fortunate to Crop year round in Northern California. We do experience Frost, but Oh well…

When kids were home we truck farmed 20 acre year round. But always had Cover crops, usually peas in rotation on some plots, especially “Next Springs” Corn patch.
We put out sign “pick your own peas 10 cents a pound”.
They enjoyed it and we got back Seed costs PLUS