Adapted from Northeast Cover Crop Handbook by Marianne Sarrantonio, Rodale Institute, 1994. With a focus on several cover crop species – brassicas (mustards, radishes and turnips), legumes (vetch and clovers), and grasses and cereals (oats, rye and ryegrass) – our cover crops publication describes agronomic and environmental benefits, as well as agronomic considerations. It depends on a farmer’s goals. “However, if you choose to plant after Aug. 10 (in the Dakotas), cool season crops should be the primary crop of choice as they thrive better in cooler fall temperatures.” Forage options Reduce select harmful nematode populations 7. Also consider ways to extend or overlap cropping windows. Clover. Have you honed a rotation that seems to have few open time slots? The steps that follow can help you find crops that will work best with a minimum of risk and expense. Winter Kill – These cover crops terminate due to cold temperatures. They cannot handle a frost or freeze, so should not be planted in the fall. Top Regional Cover Crop Species can provide a starting point. In many regions, seed winter covers at least six weeks before a hard frost. Clover is a legume and it helps absorbs nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil. What will soil temperature and moisture conditions be like? When overseeding into cash crops early in the season, vigorous growth of the cover crop may cause water stress, increase disease risks due to lower air circulation or create new insect pest risks. In cooler climates, consider extending the window by overseeding (some call this undersowing) a shade-tolerant cover before cash crop harvest. White clover could be a good choice for sweet corn and tomatoes. So for this week’s gardening article, we break down 7 of the best cover crops to use. When choosing the variety of cover crops to plant, there are many ways to get started. Leguminous plants are able to host bacteria that take nitrogen from the air and fix it in nodules on root hairs. A good seedbed is essential: maize hates compaction so ploughing and/or sub-soiling is advised. Control weeds through competition for available space, light, water, and nutrients 2. These goals, as well as other factors, will help to determine the best species, or species mix, to use on your farm. 5. Limit foot traffic to alternate rows, or delay a field operation to allow for cover crop establishment. It’s hard to decide in advance every field’s crops, planting dates, fieldwork or management specifics. Expect excessive field traffic around harvest time? For some goals, such as building soil, it may be hard to decide where and when to schedule cover crops. In a moderate rainfall region after small grain harvest in late summer, you want a soil-protecting winter cover that can supply N for no-till corn next spring. With non-legumes, the first crop thought of is rye grass but like legumes, the class of non-legume cover crops for gardens is large. be low-growing, needing minimal management, release some nutrients during the year, but not too much N, take up a lot of N and P from fall-applied manure and hold it until spring, can be mow-killed shortly before (or after) corn planting, could provide some weed-controlling, moisture-conserving residue, germinates on the soil surface under dry conditions. Look at what’s going on with the soil, what you want the cover crop to do, and which cover crop might do those things while feeding sheep. A dairy lacks adequate storage in fall and winter for the manure it generates, which exceeds the nutrient needs for its silage corn and grass/legume hay rotation. If ground cover and N recycling needs are minimal, rye can be planted as late as the frost period for successful overwintering. The net return for using cover crops without livestock varied from a negative $22 to a negative $34 if there was no cost share payment. Some of these species are cereal rye, wheat, triticale, barley, and hairy vetch. Should I cover leguminous plants? Properly managed, living mulches give many growers year-round erosion protection, weed control, nutrient cycling and even some nitrogen if they include a legume. Red Clover; Sweet Clover; Spring Oats; Rapeseed; Summer Cover Crops. This site is maintained by SARE Outreach for the SARE program and is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award No. The cover crop needs to: For this dairy scenario, rye is usually the best choice. Good option for grazing or forages if managed correctly, potential nitrate toxicity, some may have prussic acid potential. You want a cover that: Here, a quick-growing, warm-season legume such as cowpeas may work, especially if you can irrigate to hasten establishment during dry conditions. All cover crops significantly reduced nitrate-N accumulations in Iowa State University (ISU) trials. The best seeding method to establish these cover crops is with a grain drill either in a tilled or no-till system. The Soil Health Partnership promotes the adoption of soil health practices for economic and environmental benefit. You will, of course, use different varieties for best results. Mixing it with rye or another cereal improves its weed-management and moisture-conservation potential. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Create new opportunities. The Ultimate Cover Crop Guide – Top Varieties To Recharge Garden Soil Winter (Annual) Rye. Thousands of species and varieties exist, however. Clover acts as a living mulch and one of the best is white clover. The charts and narratives in this book can help you select some of the most suitable species for your farming system and objectives. There are many other types of clover including berseem, alsike, sweet, red, balansa, etc. Buckwheat is an interesting non-legume cover crop because it is sensitive to cold. With that early establishment, these covers are more likely to survive the cold temperatures and continue growing in the spring. If you have decided to add cover crops to your crop rotation, the next step is to figure out what the best cover crops are for your farm or homestead. Additionally, hairy vetch is impressively versatile and resilient; it’s a good choice in cold climates and drought conditions, and it … Plant 2 inches deep with a well-closed seed trench to avoid allelopathy. Or Build a Rotation Around Cover Crops. What’s my contingency plan—and risks—if the crop doesn’t establish or doesn’t die on schedule? Here's how I brought very cheap but insanely effective fertility to my soil. Simple to grow cover that is commonly used in a mix with other species, Less winter hardy than cereal rye or wheat, Mix with cereal rye for increased weed suppression and increased winter survival of hairy vetch, Slow-growing cover crop so seed early for best growth, Terminate before seed production to avoid hard seed, Produces large amounts of below ground biomass with less above ground growth than cereal rye, Adding oats to the mix could help protect the ryegrass and help it to overwinter, Can be difficult to terminate in the spring so timely and proper herbicide applications are needed, Thrives in shaded conditions, so good option for interseeding, Avoid Italian ryegrass- generally used for forages and are mixed varieties, Most-likely will winter kill but is not controlled with glyphosate if it doesn’t, Winter annual that also attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, Does well mixed with cereal rye or other cover crops, Shortest growing type of clover that tolerates traffic and compaction, Does well interseeded, frost seeded, or in a cover crop mix, Quick-establishing cover for spring or fall, Mix well with other covers as a nurse crop, Soil health benefits: scavenger for nutrients, suppress weeds, breaks up compaction, Not as vigorous in growth as radish, but superior option for grazing, but should not comprise more than 35% of the livestock diet, Best results when planted in a mix late summer/early fall, After freeze rotting radishes create a strong odor so be cautious in residential areas, Extremely fast-growing, good source of forages, Caution grazing during and after a frost and before plants are 18-36” due to potential for prussic acid poisoning and nitrate toxicity with the right conditions. You need a legume that: Hairy vetch works well in the Northeast, Midwest and parts of the mid-South. White clover, annual ryegrass, rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover, red clover and sweetclover tolerate some shading. Subclovers reseed well in regions south of Hardiness Zone 6. Depending on your needs and the cover crop(s) you plant, you can enhance water retention and infiltration, decrease erosion, amp up organic matter, extend grazing seasons… and so much more. These hedgerows could also be used to produce marketable products such as nuts, berries or even craft materials. • The brothers plant cover crops in about one half of their corn acres each year. Not as hardy as cereal rye, but generally better than wheat. Cover crops are a critical tool for farmers. Some common goals for cover crops are to: You might also want the cover crops to provide habitat for beneficial organisms, better traction during harvest, faster drainage or another benefit. However, beyond seed selection, cover crops are cover crops. As harvest approaches, we also think about seeding cover crops, if we have not already. What type of cover crop seed you should use depends on your goals. Lisa Kubik is a Field Manager for the Soil Health Partnership, covering eastern Iowa. Best Nitrogen Preservation Cover Crops: Hard Winter Wheat, Triticale, Annual Rye, Barley, Tillage or Daikon Radish, Oats. Many vegetable rotations present cover crop opportunities—and challenges. Three people only have so much time to get all the spring work done. Cover crops have become one of the ag industry’s most exciting and valuable trends in recent years, and for good reason: Covers have been shown to build healthy sustainable soil and contribute to higher crop productivity. Perennial ryegrass or some less aggressive turfgrasses such as sheep fescue may work for beans, tomatoes and other vegetables. These are many times planted as a mix and used for grazing, harvested forage, reducing extreme compaction in areas or preventive planting acres. Other cereal grains or brassicas could work if planted early enough. Common cover crops include annual ryegrass, Sudan grass, oats, buckwheat and legumes, such as peas, beans, alfalfa, clover and vetch. So which ones are for you? Cover crops provide many benefits, but they’re not do-it-all “wonder crops.” To find a suitable cover crop or mix of covers: This book makes selection of cover crops a little easier by focusing on some proven ones. If overseeding, irrigate afterwards if possible, or seed just before a soaking rain is forecast. BLANDO brome and annual ryegrass are two quick-growing, reseeding grasses often suitable for orchard floors, but they will probably need some control with mowing. Grass species include rye, millets, and sorghum-sudangrass. You might seed a cover right after harvesting a summer crop, when the weather is still mild. You can either make your own pairing, checking first that the 2 seeds are compatible, or purchase a pre-formulated blend. Should the cover be low-growing and spreading, or tall and vigorous? Grass and grain cover crops with fine, dense root masses loosen soil texture as they decompose. Cover crops provide many benefits, but they’re not do-it-all “wonder crops.” To find a suitable cover crop or mix of covers: Clarify your primary needs; Identify the best time and place for a cover crop in your system; Test a few options; This book makes selection of cover crops … One alternative is to find out which cover crops provide the best results on your farm, then build a rotation around those covers, especially when trying to tackle some tough soil improvement or weed control issues. Oats planted two weeks after corn harvested for silage yielded 2,800 pounds of DM per acre. To rebuild fertility or organic matter over a longer period, perennials or biennials—or mixtures—require the least amount of maintenance. Do I have the needed equipment and labor? Crimson clover may be an appropriate choice for the southeastern Piedmont. Or, try a reseeding winter annual legume such as crimson clover, rose clover, subclover, an annual vetch or an annual medic, depending on your climate. Keep in mind that you can mix two or more species, or try several options in small areas. SHP supports healthy cover crop adoption that is sustainable and works for the farmer. If you are growing crops such as corn that are harvested later in the year, deep tillage is likely to be a more workable option to deal with compaction. Companion seed a winter annual cover crop with a spring grain, or frost seed (broadcasting seed onto frozen ground) a cover into winter grains. The best cover crops for clay soil include buckwheat, clover, alfalfa, fava beans, and winter wheat. Using hot weather cover crops is very similar to using cool weather cover crops. If possible, add other key information, such as rainfall, frost-free periods and times of heavy labor or equipment demand. Farmers need to consider a few factors: soil fertility and condition, yield, and nutritional value to sheep. How vigorous will other crops (or pests) be? 2019-38640-29881. While both types of cover crops contribute organic matter to the soil, non-legumes produce more of this biomass. Cereal Rye. Here are examples of common niches in some systems, and some tips: Winter fallow niche. Winter Hardy – These cover crops are generally established in the fall, will live through the winter and add more growth in the spring. Most widely-used cover crop in the Midwest. The winter cover crop provides weed suppression and ground cover, but also nitrogen for the high-N sorghum-sudangrass, which can produce tons of biomass to build soil organic matter. One or more species could come close, as the above examples indicate. Occasionally with a good cover of snow, they will have the potential to overwinter though. Prevent soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall or winds 3. Narrowing your goals to one or two primary and perhaps a few secondary goals will greatly simplify your search for the best cover species. The first thing to decide is depends on the time of year you are planting since there are both warm season and cool season cover crops. Broadcasting cover crop seed in late fall is usually not successful. 2. Each type of clover has different traits and benefits, so make sure you do your research before planting. If your goal is to graze cattle on the cover to extend your grazing days, the seed you choose will be different than if you want to increase the weed control in next year’s crop. Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil and is great for adding fertility to your soil. Where grain harvest occurs in late spring or early summer, LANA woollypod vetch might be a better choice. Choose tough, low-growing covers such as grasses or clovers. Experiment with cover crops that work best for you. Some of the most common winter kill species include oats, turnips, and radishes. Caution using before corn, due to high carbon to nitrogen ratios and potential allelopathic effects. It is reliable and easy to establish by following some basic husbandry steps, says Chris Bright of Bright Seeds. Chopping or cutting back cover crops before they go to seed is the best practice to avoid unwanted reseeding. What weather extremes and field traffic must it tolerate? Broadleaf cover crops are non-grass, non-legume species such as buckwheat. Plant hairy vetch or a grass-legume mixture in fall, terminate it the following spring at flowering, and plant sorghum-sudangrass. , buckwheat, clover, red clover and sweetclover tolerate some shading: hairy vetch, sudangrass sorghum-sudan... 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