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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

I've got 1 1/2 acres plowed up. This field is old tobacco land that
was left fallow a long time and 3 years ago had 4' pines on it. I have
bushhogged it since then and ran some goats on it.

I figure it's going to take a year of all out war on the weeds and
brambles that will be trying to make a comeback. I'm going to plants
as many cover crops as a can on it this summer - fall and plow them
down.

My reasoning is that the cultivation is going to help kill off the
brambles that are going to try to come back from roots and the green
manure crops will improve the soil.

I'm thinking to seed it to winter rye now, plow at the end of may and
plant cowpeas. Plow and lime at the end of August and plant buckwheat,
plow again at the beginning of October and plant winter rye, austrian
peas and crimson clover.

If a disking will knock back the brambles, I'll skip any plowing I
can. I'll just have to play that by ear. I know that the brambles in
my garden were tough to get under control and I still have problems in
areas 2 gardens later.

Any suggestions?

Rob - Va