In the video, Farmer Jesse discusses the importance and challenges of using cover crops on a small-scale farm. He highlights key considerations such as selecting the right cover crop, preparing the soil properly, ensuring seed-to-soil contact, and knowing how to terminate the cover crop effectively to maximize its benefits for soil health and crop productivity.

Mastering Cover Crops: A Practical Guide for Your Small Farm

Hey everyone, Farmer Jesse here! I’m excited to kick off another season of informative videos. This time, I’ll be focusing a lot more on cover crops, especially for small-scale farms. Just to clarify, while my farm is only an acre of permanent raised beds, the information I’ll share can be relevant to larger scales too.

Today, we’ll delve into the do’s and don’ts of cover cropping. You’ve probably heard that cover crops are fantastic for soil health, weed control, and disease suppression. And that’s true! But what you may not know is how problematic cover crops can become if they’re not managed properly. So, let’s dive in!

Understanding Cover Crops

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What Are Cover Crops?

Cover crops are grown between, beside, or even below cash crops. They can provide mulch, fix nutrients like nitrogen from legumes, increase soil respiration, and hold soil in place. They also reduce weed pressure and call in beneficial insects. Essentially, any annual crop that can be readily terminated can serve as a cover crop. This includes grains like cereal rye and wheat, legumes like cow peas, and even brassicas like mustard.

Choosing the Right Cover Crop

Selecting the wrong cover crop is one of the biggest mistakes new cover croppers make. I discuss this in detail in my video on how to choose the right cover crop, but here are some key points:

1. Know What You Need: Understand what you need from the cover crop.
2. Termination Plan: Plan how you will terminate the cover crop.
3. Subsequent Crops: Consider what crop will follow the cover crop.

   For example, if you need to plant early in the spring, a winter cover crop like cereal rye and vetch can be a disaster, especially if you don’t want to till the soil. In such cases, a winter-killed or more tender cover crop might be more suitable.

   Preparing Your Soil
   

   Poor soil preparation is another common mistake. You need to treat your cover crop like a cash crop. If you wouldn’t plant a cash crop into poorly prepared soil, don’t plant a cover crop there either. Proper soil preparation will maximize the benefits of your cover crop.

   Key Preparations
   

   • Mitigate Compaction: Use tools like a broad fork or subsoil on a larger scale.
   • Clear Weeds: Especially perennial weeds.
   • Address Drainage Issues: Ensure the soil can drain well.
     

     Seed-to-Soil Contact
     

     Seed-to-soil contact is crucial for a good stand of cover crops. Broadcasting seeds can be faster, but if you have the option, direct sow them. If broadcasting, make sure to firm the seeds into the soil. Lightly rake the surface and then press it in with something heavy, like a bed roller or cultipacker.

     Terminating Cover Crops
     

     Before sowing any cover crop, know how you’re going to kill it. Different crops require different termination methods. Some can be crimped, some can be mowed, and others may winter kill. Ensure you have the equipment and know-how for termination.

     Regional Considerations
     

     For instance, oats do not reliably winter kill in our region (zone 6b). So, if you’re further south in Kentucky, oats might not be a suitable winter kill cover crop.

     Additional Tips
     

     High biomass cover crops like rye can cool the soil, making it difficult to plant warm-season crops like tomatoes until early summer. I’ve experienced this firsthand, and while the crops eventually recovered, they were not happy initially.

     Conclusion
     

     I hope this guide provides you with helpful insights as you consider cover cropping for your farm. We’ll have more content on cover crops soon, so hit that subscribe button and like this post if you found it helpful. Consider supporting us on Patreon to help us create more content like this.

     Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!