Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] smother cover crop under sweet corn

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Steve Diver <steved AT ipa.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] smother cover crop under sweet corn
  • Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:11:57 -0500

A number of trials have been looked at this -- Rodale, Minnesota, Iowa, New Mexico, etc.

But it "all depends".  Intersowing is definitely a learning curve, to be figured out based on
your climate, your farm, your equipment and rotational sequence.   

ATTRA has a research packet on this.  But you have to talk to someone, it's not
on the web. 

Basically, your're looking at Berseem clover and others that are interseeded at the
last cultivation. Brassicas may surprisingly fit this scenario.   The aim is to get some
establishment and coverage to displace weeds, but not grow wild and compete with
the main crop.  You need some moisture. You need a seeding and seed-soil method.
You might need to sow earlier to get enough establishment to compete with weeds. 

One of the classic studies showed that for sweet corn, a white clover living mulch
that you "strip till" into, works.  Vern Grubinger, Cornell, years back.

Anne and Eric Nordell perfected some methods in Pennsylvania.

Steve Diver
Texas


On 3/15/2010 10:52 AM, Greg York wrote:
AFEEE1B5903A2A42A6CBF5510CD795E0FDA76BAF AT discoverymx.MainCampus.sdtc.org" type="cite">

Has anyone had success establishing a smother cover crop under sweetcorn?  We transplant our sweetcorn into the field and cultivate until the crop is about 2’ high.  At that point I’d like to sow a cover crop under the corn that will germinate and grow quickly enough to shade out any broadleaf weeds until harvest is over.  We grow several 72-80 day varieties.  I know some folks relay different clovers into corn, but it sounds like the majority of the growth of those covers happen after the corn is harvested and/or flailed off.  Has anyone tried soybeans?  Any other successful cover crops for weed control?

 

Greg

Zone 5, southern Catskills






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page