Cover Crops Benefit Gardens, Too

Cover Crops Benefit Gardens Too CROPS Miscellaneous After an article on his business last year Vol 38 No 4 so many FARM SHOW readers contacted cover crop specialist Bob Fairclough about using cover crops in their gardens that his seed provider is now packaging a special garden mix Readers wanted the same soil building benefits for their gardens as farmers were getting in their fields Garden Builder Cover Crop Seed Mix from Byron Seeds includes oats Nitro radish and crimson clover     “This is a perfect cover crop mix for gardens ” says Fairclough “Oats germinate quickly The Nitro radish helps hold nutrients and the clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil ”     In most areas the oats and radish will winter kill adds Fairclough leaving the clover to be tilled under as green manure in the spring He advises no-till gardeners to consider trimming the clover to the soil level and covering the garden bed with black plastic for 3 weeks prior to planting Elimination of sun and rain plus the heat under the plastic will terminate the cover crop     “Some gardeners will put up a fence and let chickens graze it down to nothing before they put in their garden ” says Fairclough     He suggests sowing the cover crop seed as garden crops mature and are removed One of his customers interseeds growing vegetables with cover crops shading out germinating weeds and providing a living mulch As tomato and pepper plants are removed the cover crops take over     FARM SHOW readers aren’t the only ones interested in the garden mix Fairclough mentioned it to his local FFA advisor who shared it with other advisors as a possible fundraiser     “One school in northern Indiana has indicated a need for 500 to 700 bags ” says Fairclough “Others want to set it up as a Supervised Agricultural Experience where students create a business selling the bags of seed ”     Fairclough says he would be happy to help FFA advisors or students in other states set up similar programs          Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Fairclough Forage Seeds 156 N State Rd 29 Michigantown Ind 46057 ph 765 249-2297; cell 765 670-2121; fairclough@geetel net

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