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Subject: Market Farming
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Cover cropping (was Companion Planting in Sweet Corn)
- From: "nan and stewart" <stewart AT watervalley.net>
- To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Cover cropping (was Companion Planting in Sweet Corn)
- Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 17:31:14 -0500
There is great new book: Managing Cover Crops Profitably just published by
SAN (sust. ag network )
san AT nal.usda.gov or call 1802-656-0484
Can help you plan cover crops for your particular region and crop!
Also, from SAN great companion book, Building Soils for Better Crops by Fred
Magdoff and Harold Van Es
Just went to Fred's workshop at the recent Southern SAWG conference in
Chatanooga and he was GREAT - this is a book not just for organic farmers
but for any kind of eco-agriculture!!!!! Way to go!
These books cost 19.95 plus 3.95 S&H
J
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffery Blake" <echoecho AT bedford.heartland.net>
To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2001 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: Companion Planting in Sweet Corn
> Yes. Thanks everyone for the help on this matter. Do you need additional
N
> application following the peas? How do they affect soil moisture? I am
> going to try vetch/rye or clover/rye or straight vetch next year. It
seems
> like the best alternative. Might try all three. How does tillage effect
> the availabilty of N in the spring on a winter cover crop? Is there a
trade
> off between no-till and tillage in soils managed with legume/small grain
> cover crops?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "robert schuler" <sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net>
> To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2001 9:24 AM
> Subject: Re: Companion Planting in Sweet Corn
>
>
> > Hello Jeffery, I specialize in sweet corn but not organic corn, I have
> always tried to
> > grow my own Nitrogen and have tried your examples, first corn doesn't
like
> to share
> > space with any other growing plant, 25% weed or companion will reduce
> yield 50% and 50%
> > companion will reduce yield 100% because you will get 3/4 size ears and
no
> tip fill,
> > moisture stress acts as a magnet for worms, grow your corn on clean
> cultivated soil and
> > broadcast hairy vetch into corn when 2 ft tall, vetch will not compete,
> then bush hog
> > the corn after picking and let vetch grow through stubble, vetch and rye
> is a great
> > combo if seeded by mid September, both will get 3-4 ft tall by late
April
> but need to be
> > plowed down, if you use only vetch you will get more N, and you can mow
it
> flat and
> > notill into it easily if you have notched coulters cutting vines ahead
of
> planter, or
> > you can disc twice over two weeks in April to May and vetch will
decompose
> very fast due
> > to low c/n ratio, I like to shallow plow this land the soil is very
loose
> and flows
> > nice after vetch.
> > A lower priced alternative I have been experimenting with is seeding
> medium red clover
> > at 5 lb. per acre, it costs $10 for seed alot cheaper than vetch but not
> as good of a N
> > supplier.
> > Around here we have a company called Seabrook that makes frozen foods
and
> they contract
> > out for peas, the crop is seeded mid to late Feb. and harvested by
early
> June, the crop
> > in drilled in 6" rows 250 lb seed with a grain drill, the company comes
> with harvesters,
> > they are bigger then grain combines and cause alot more compaction but
> residue provides
> > a profitable N crop for late season corn which is often part of the
> rotation on these
> > farms hopefully you have a processor in your area...
> > I like to devote land to regenerate over summer and find group 5
soybeans
> the cheapest
> > crop for this and have had luck with cow peas in the summer heat but
they
> cost too
> > much...Good Luck
> > Sunny Meadow Farm
> > Bridgeton, NJ.
> >
> > Jeffery Blake wrote:
> >
> > > I am working on transitioning to organic or more sustainable sweet
corn
> > > production. In the future I want to fall plant rye and hairy vetch as
a
> > > winter cover crop to reduce weed pressure and to fix nitrogen. Do I
> have
> > > any alternatives for Spring or summer seeded Nitrogen fixing companion
> > > crops. I have considered cowpeas, field peas, and field beans. I
want
> > > Nitrogen fixing while maintaining good ear size. I wouldn't mind
> cutting
> > > back population. I raise about 20 acres and have high residue
> cultivators,
> > > planter and a heavy disk.
> > > My thoughts are spring seeded peas, which I understand fix about 80
lbs
> N ?.
> > > I would plant succession of sweet corn between May 1 and June 15. I
am
> not
> > > sure my planter would no till into standing peas, might be to much
> growth.
> > > so could I mow then no till, could i strip till ahead of the planter,
or
> > > should i just disk it down and plant. if i disk then the peas might
not
> > > have fixed nearly so much N on the first planting. They should be
fully
> > > mature my June 1 I think. Another alternative would be to seed feild
> beans
> > > into standing sweet corn, but would that get enough N to the corn.
> Would it
> > > out compete the corn. the vines would make weed control difficult and
> maybe
> > > the picking. I wonder if that would work for feild corn? Probably
> wouldn't
> > > go through the combine. Pea seed is cheap field bean seed is about $1
a
> > > pound. Does anybody have any experieces trying anything like this?
Any
> > > thoughts.
> > >
> > > ---
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- Cover cropping (was Companion Planting in Sweet Corn), nan and stewart, 02/05/2001
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