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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] no-till?

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>
  • To: 'Healthy soil and sustainable growing' <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] no-till?
  • Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:43:37 -0400


Some years back, when husband and I were first figuring out cover crops, we
tried a clover (we can't recall what type; husband says maybe "sweet"
clover), into which we set our kale transplants. Our idea was that the
clover would fix N, and that would be good for the kale.

The clover out-competed the kale, quickly and easily, and we lost the entire
kale bed.
In fact, we have never again tried *living* mulches. We do grow cover
crops, but we make certain they're *dead* before we plant into them.

Pat

Low-growing Dutch white clover is a better choice where you want such a "living mulch." Won't work with every crop, of course. But it's terrific with trellised crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans) with a small footprint on the bed and most of the action well above the height of the DWC. Establishes quickly so suppresses weeds. One of my favorites.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

My book, THE MODERN HOMESTEAD POULTRY FLOCK, will be published next year by
Chelsea Green Publishing.






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