At the end of the growing season you may be ready to rest, but your garden is not. One final effort can make a big difference: cover cropping. Even small gardens will benefit from the use of cover crops, or "green manures." Tilling, weeding, harvesting and foot traffic of most home gardens tends to destroy soil structure. Planting cover crops is an easy way to revitalize the soil, and help soil health and subsequent plant growth. Cover crops are planted in vacant space and worked into the soil after they grow instead of being eaten. They provide a number of advantages to the otherwise wasteful use of space during your garden's off-season.
Cover crops help to retain the soil, lessen erosion, and decrease the impact of precipitation on the garden by slowing the runoff of water. They also reduce mineral leaching and compaction, and suppress perennial and winter annual weed growth. The top growth adds organic matter when it is tilled into the garden soil. The cover crop's root system also provides organic matter and opens passageways that help improve air and water movement in the soil.
Success in the growth of cover crops requires proper selection of the kind of cover crop, correct timing of seeding, and good management techniques. There are many traditional cover crops to select from, including annual ryegrass, winter rye, winter wheat, oats, white clover, sweet clover, Austrian winter pea and hairy vetch. Grasses are easier to grow than legumes such as clover because they germinate more quickly and do not require inoculation. Small seeded crops are more difficult to establish than large seeded types such as oats. In poorly drained areas, grasses may be easier to get started. Winter rye and ryegrass grow in a very dense habit and are much more effective at shading out weeds than oats or small seeded legumes.
The last date when cover crops can be planted here in the Ozarks is late October. By the beginning of November, only rye and winter wheat can be productively started.
Oats will not overwinter for us but it is the easiest to work into the soil when spring arrives since their tops have died back during the winter. Perennial ryegrass and winter rye produce a massive amount of top growth in the spring and may be difficult to incorporate. If this is the case, before the leaves grow too tall in the spring they should be cut back once with a mower and then tilled under.
To plant a cover crop, rake the garden area smooth and remove debris. Broadcast the seed and lightly rake again, and water in the cover crop with your hose set at a fine mist. For additional information about garden cover crops, contact me at the County Extension office, 479-444-1755.
BERNI KURZ, COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT STAFF CHAIR, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE.
Business on 10/21/2015