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Post by lilolpeapicker on Aug 23, 2022 8:06:03 GMT -5
Decided not to do fall gardening this year so planning to start preparing beds for next spring. Only a couple beds are clear at this point. I have already put rabbit manure in the bed. Thinking of starting a cover grass in those raised beds.
Has anyone done that? What grass seed would be a good one to use....I am thinking of an annual rye. Whatever I use would it be better to cut it and lay it on the bed or turn it under? I am thinking it would be good to lay it down and let nature take its course.
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Post by binnylou on Aug 23, 2022 8:20:04 GMT -5
lilolpeapicker, just cutting and leaving it on top of the bed might be a good way to convert to “no till”…unless you are already doing that.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Aug 23, 2022 9:37:24 GMT -5
a good way to convert to “no till”… Yes thinking of doing just that. .
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Post by desertwoman on Aug 23, 2022 9:38:52 GMT -5
I agree- cut it and leave it. Winter rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover are all good for no till early fall planting
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Aug 23, 2022 12:42:53 GMT -5
Winter rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover will flowers need to be cut to prevent seeds from falling on the ground to minimize new growth the following spring?
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Post by binnylou on Aug 25, 2022 7:33:09 GMT -5
lilolpeapicker , I did it…I ordered seed for cover crop..I placed my order with True Leaf Market, ordering Crimson Clover and Mighty Mustard Trifecta Power Blend.
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Post by binnylou on Oct 3, 2022 23:13:17 GMT -5
The mustard cover crop is about 6 inches tall now. That raised bed was given a good drink today, and we have a chance of rain tomorrow. I’d like to get as much mass out of it as possible…might even cover it when frost arrives. When I get tired of trying to extend its growth time, I’ll chop it down and stir it in, then top with leaves and straw.
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Post by pondgardener on Oct 4, 2022 9:09:16 GMT -5
I have started clearing out the beds and planted hairy vetch. Here in Colorado it stays green throughout the winter and I dig it up in the Spring.
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Post by binnylou on Oct 6, 2022 14:39:46 GMT -5
I really mis judged how tall my mustard cover crop is. The plants growing in the center of the bed are closer to 12 inches tall.
Predicted temperature for early Saturday morning is 31*. An internet search states that mustard’s cold tolerance is reached at 26*. Anybody have experience with this?
I can cover if needed, but don’t want to flatten the plants.
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Post by raphanus on Oct 8, 2022 7:06:50 GMT -5
It depends on the variety of mustard and how much time it has to acclimate to colder weather. My mustard last year survived a couple dips down to 24, 25 degrees uncovered with no significant damage. By late spring, the mustard plants were 4 feet tall and flowering. It’s a great crop to sort of just establish as a weed, let it go to flower and drop seeds everywhere. Mustards can repel many insects and diseases and it’s also good food! I cook up mustard greens in a large stock pot with some neck bones or other scrap meat and some cultured butter. Always save the leftover juice / potlikker juice to drink for its medicinal qualities.
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Post by binnylou on Oct 9, 2022 9:24:16 GMT -5
Mustard cover crop suffered no damage when low temps came through. It has at least another week of growing temps. I hope.
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Post by binnylou on Oct 15, 2022 18:10:59 GMT -5
Today I cut the mustard. I started out chopping it down with a short handle hoe. I soon realized that my shoulder was not going to be happy, so I finished the chopping with the weed whacker and gave it a stir so the green would be in good contact with the soil. Topped that with some chopped leaves, scattered straw across the top to hold the leaves in place. Straw is secured by putting stacked tomato cages on the raised bed, then a steel fence post horizontally through the cages. The garden catches a lot of wind. If I didn’t weigh the tomato cages down, they would probably be tangled in the electric fencing.
One raised bed done…nine to go.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Oct 16, 2022 9:32:07 GMT -5
This is my first year doing a cover crop. Spoke with tendingmygarden and decided to try buckwheat. Its starting to get pretty cold, not yet a freeze. But I understand it will die from a freeze. Should I chop it down and just lay it in the bed. Or do I let the frost get it and wait for spring? Or something else?
Maybe 10 days ago I put down seed in a bed but it may not germinate before frost. Maybe I shouldn't have done that?
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Post by binnylou on Oct 16, 2022 12:31:00 GMT -5
lilolpeapicker , since cover cropping is a “learn as you grow” adventure for me, I’ve been getting info from TrueLeafMarket. That’s where I purchased my mustard and crimson clover seed. The info presented by them makes me think “ I can do this”. As for the seed that was recently planted, I would cover it with straw and expect germination in Spring. But, then again, I might just end up with a bed covered with straw. Good luck!!
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Oct 16, 2022 15:54:35 GMT -5
I would cover it with straw and expect germination in Spring. thx Was thinking this might happen... Who knows maybe I will get lucky and it will sprout at 40-50º Part of me is thinking if I chop it down and leave it laying there would be better nutritionally for the soil than if I let it die first. Don't know why I think that. I will try that.
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