Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Permanent beds - Paths

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Permanent beds - Paths
  • Date: Tue, 5 Jan 2010 14:29:13 -0500


On Jan 5, 2010, at 12:53 PM, Michael Peck wrote:

Johnny's Seed Catalog says that New Zealand White Clover can be sown into long-season row crops during the season to provide a "living mulch".  I'm considering white clover for paths, but not in the crops.  If the clover was sown in with the row crop, wouldn't they compete? 

Michael
Marshall, Michigan

Clover gets a slow start, and doesn't compete much during the first season if the seeding is timed right. I often seed red clover into a producing crop (for instance into winter squash in July), leaving the clover for a cover or hay crop the following year.

To the extent it does establish, it provides some nitrogen; and New Zealand White is a dwarf clover, which isn't going to compete as much for water and sun as a full sized one; so it may be possible to interseed it earlier in the season than the full sized clovers without too much competition, thereby giving the clover enough growth in the first year to make it worth doing even if it's not intended to leave it into the next year.

Either technique is going to work better, I expect, with a cash crop that is a good competitor and that gets a good start before the clover is seeded.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page