#covercrops — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #covercrops, aggregated by home.social.
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So, I'll have to run this by the #CommunityGarden committee, but my inclination is to plant cover crops over the garden plots folks are using, and encourage them to switch it up next spring. My farmer friend liked the idea of keeping a few plots for the garden free for that reason. I have buckwheat as well as a clover-poppy mix on-hand. Has anyone else who uses #CommunityGardens done this? To me it makes sense to try and rotate things a bit and have #CoverCrops to regenerate the soil.
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So, I'll have to run this by the #CommunityGarden committee, but my inclination is to plant cover crops over the garden plots folks are using, and encourage them to switch it up next spring. My farmer friend liked the idea of keeping a few plots for the garden free for that reason. I have buckwheat as well as a clover-poppy mix on-hand. Has anyone else who uses #CommunityGardens done this? To me it makes sense to try and rotate things a bit and have #CoverCrops to regenerate the soil.
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So, I picked up some buckwheat seeds from one of my favorite seed suppliers (#StrictlyMedicinal). #Buckwheat is good crop to cover soil after the harvest. (And the bees love it!)
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So, I picked up some buckwheat seeds from one of my favorite seed suppliers (#StrictlyMedicinal). #Buckwheat is good crop to cover soil after the harvest. (And the bees love it!)
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CW: green mulch
I've used a few seed mixes for my cover crops that included:
Austrian field pea
buckwheat
clovers - berseem clover, crimson clover, medium red clover, sweet yellow clover, white clover, white miniclover
collard greens
cowpeas
daikon
fenugreek
forage peas
flax
lentils
millet
vetch & hairy vetch
yellow mustardIf anyone has suggestions for premade fall/overwinter cover crop seed mixes that contain a lot of human-edible foods, let me know!
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CW: food, food scarcity, food planning
I sowed green mulch / cover crops in big sections of the back yard this year for the first time to choke out weeds, keep down dust, and improve the soil.
If it works... a lot of it is edible and I may have enough daikon (etc.) to feed my entire time zone. (I don't eat a lot myself.)
It would be a great year to have fresh food to give away. 💚
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Good tie to rethinkg more than our reliance on #fossilefuesl -
Why some European #farmers are immune to the #fertiliser crisis https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/28/europes-farms-are-reeling-from-the-iran-war-regenerative-farmers-saw-it-coming
#nitrogen #compost #animalmanure #rotationalgrazing #covercrops #soil
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Good tie to rethinkg more than our reliance on #fossilefuesl -
Why some European #farmers are immune to the #fertiliser crisis https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/28/europes-farms-are-reeling-from-the-iran-war-regenerative-farmers-saw-it-coming
#nitrogen #compost #animalmanure #rotationalgrazing #covercrops #soil
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Spot the nodules on this vetch? It houses nitrogen fixing bacteria in an anaerobic environment. With sugars from the plant they fix nitrogen from the air making it available to the plants to use to grow.
Can any one tell me why they are a little bit red in color?
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Spring Cover Crops for the Vegetable Garden https://www.allforgardening.com/1644446/spring-cover-crops-for-the-vegetable-garden/ #CoverCrops #garden #spring #VegetableGarden
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Spring Cover Crops for the Vegetable Garden https://www.allforgardening.com/1644446/spring-cover-crops-for-the-vegetable-garden/ #CoverCrops #garden #spring #VegetableGarden
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10 Smart Ways to Prep Your Raised Garden Beds Now for a More Productive Spring https://www.allforgardening.com/1644443/10-smart-ways-to-prep-your-raised-garden-beds-now-for-a-more-productive-spring-2/ #CoverCrops #garden #PlantingSeason #RaisedBeds #SoilNutrients #WinterCrops
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10 Smart Ways to Prep Your Raised Garden Beds Now for a More Productive Spring https://www.allforgardening.com/1644443/10-smart-ways-to-prep-your-raised-garden-beds-now-for-a-more-productive-spring-2/ #CoverCrops #garden #PlantingSeason #RaisedBeds #SoilNutrients #WinterCrops
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10 Smart Ways to Prep Your Raised Garden Beds Now for a More Productive Spring https://www.allforgardening.com/1644083/10-smart-ways-to-prep-your-raised-garden-beds-now-for-a-more-productive-spring/ #CoverCrops #garden #gardening #PlantingSeason #RaisedBeds #SoilNutrients #WinterCrops
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10 Smart Ways to Prep Your Raised Garden Beds Now for a More Productive Spring https://www.allforgardening.com/1644083/10-smart-ways-to-prep-your-raised-garden-beds-now-for-a-more-productive-spring/ #CoverCrops #garden #gardening #PlantingSeason #RaisedBeds #SoilNutrients #WinterCrops
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So, this article is aimed at commercial growers, but if you happen to have a few plots of land to grow stuff, #CoverCrops and #CropRotation is the way to go!
Top 10 Expert Tips for Growing #OrganicSoybeans: Boost Yield & #Sustainability
Excerpt: "Cover Cropping for Soil Fertility
Cover crops like clover, rye, or hairy vetch are game-changers for organic soybean farmers. They fix nitrogen, suppress weeds, and improve soil structure. For example, red clover can add up to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, reducing the need for external inputs. Plant cover crops in the off-season and terminate them before soybean planting, either by mowing or rolling. Sample Cover Crop Plan: Year 1: Red clover (fall-planted); Year 2: Organic soybeans; Year 3: Winter wheat followed by a summer cover like buckwheat. This rotation boosts fertility and disrupts pest cycles.
Expert Insight: A 2023 study from Cornell University found that cover crops increased organic soybean yields by up to 15% compared to fields without them.
Tip 3 – Implement Effective Crop Rotation
Benefits of Rotation for Organic Soybeans
Crop rotation is a cornerstone of organic farming, reducing pest and disease pressure while enhancing soil health. Rotating soybeans with crops like corn, wheat, or alfalfa prevents the buildup of soybean-specific pathogens like SCN. It also improves soil structure and nutrient availability. For instance, corn residues add organic matter, while alfalfa fixes nitrogen, benefiting subsequent soybean crops.
Planning a Rotation Schedule
Design a 3-5 year rotation plan tailored to your farm’s needs. A sample rotation might include: Year 1: Corn; Year 2: Organic soybeans; Year 3: Winter wheat; Year 4: Cover crop (e.g., clover); Year 5: Back to soybeans. Avoid planting soybeans in the same field consecutively to minimize disease risk. Case Study: John Miller, an organic farmer in Iowa, increased his soybean yields by 10 bushels per acre after adopting a corn-soybean-wheat rotation, as reported by the Practical Farmers of Iowa."
Read more:
https://agricarehub.com/organic-soybeans/#SolarPunkSunday #GrowingSoybeans
#HarvestingSoybeans #GrowYourOwn
#GrowYourOwnFood #Soybeans #SoybeanCrops -
So, this article is aimed at commercial growers, but if you happen to have a few plots of land to grow stuff, #CoverCrops and #CropRotation is the way to go!
Top 10 Expert Tips for Growing #OrganicSoybeans: Boost Yield & #Sustainability
Excerpt: "Cover Cropping for Soil Fertility
Cover crops like clover, rye, or hairy vetch are game-changers for organic soybean farmers. They fix nitrogen, suppress weeds, and improve soil structure. For example, red clover can add up to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, reducing the need for external inputs. Plant cover crops in the off-season and terminate them before soybean planting, either by mowing or rolling. Sample Cover Crop Plan: Year 1: Red clover (fall-planted); Year 2: Organic soybeans; Year 3: Winter wheat followed by a summer cover like buckwheat. This rotation boosts fertility and disrupts pest cycles.
Expert Insight: A 2023 study from Cornell University found that cover crops increased organic soybean yields by up to 15% compared to fields without them.
Tip 3 – Implement Effective Crop Rotation
Benefits of Rotation for Organic Soybeans
Crop rotation is a cornerstone of organic farming, reducing pest and disease pressure while enhancing soil health. Rotating soybeans with crops like corn, wheat, or alfalfa prevents the buildup of soybean-specific pathogens like SCN. It also improves soil structure and nutrient availability. For instance, corn residues add organic matter, while alfalfa fixes nitrogen, benefiting subsequent soybean crops.
Planning a Rotation Schedule
Design a 3-5 year rotation plan tailored to your farm’s needs. A sample rotation might include: Year 1: Corn; Year 2: Organic soybeans; Year 3: Winter wheat; Year 4: Cover crop (e.g., clover); Year 5: Back to soybeans. Avoid planting soybeans in the same field consecutively to minimize disease risk. Case Study: John Miller, an organic farmer in Iowa, increased his soybean yields by 10 bushels per acre after adopting a corn-soybean-wheat rotation, as reported by the Practical Farmers of Iowa."
Read more:
https://agricarehub.com/organic-soybeans/#SolarPunkSunday #GrowingSoybeans
#HarvestingSoybeans #GrowYourOwn
#GrowYourOwnFood #Soybeans #SoybeanCrops -
UK debut: a massive agricultural octocopter - Crop Angel's DJI Agras T100 (3.2m span, 100kg payload) flew at a Norfolk farm.
For now it spreads cover crop seed (CAA/CRD still block spraying).
Demo at LAMMA Jan 14-15.
Under £20k. #AgTech #CoverCrops
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/25720563.crop-angels-huge-agricultural-drone-takes-flight-norfolk/
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UK debut: a massive agricultural octocopter - Crop Angel's DJI Agras T100 (3.2m span, 100kg payload) flew at a Norfolk farm.
For now it spreads cover crop seed (CAA/CRD still block spraying).
Demo at LAMMA Jan 14-15.
Under £20k. #AgTech #CoverCrops
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/25720563.crop-angels-huge-agricultural-drone-takes-flight-norfolk/
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https://www.evshift.com/356800/how-honda-and-farmers-advance-carbon-removal-for-healthier-air-and-soil/ How Honda and Farmers Advance Carbon Removal for Healthier Air and Soil #Advance #air #carbon #CarbonCredits #CarbonRemoval #CoverCrops #decarbonization #ElectricCars #ElectricVehicles #EV #Farmers #farming #Farmland #healthier #Honda #HondaSustainability #ReducedTillage #RegenerativeAgriculture #removal #soil #SoilHealth
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University of California: New online tool helps growers choose cover crops. “For the first time, farmers in California and throughout the West have a decision-support tool that recommends cover-crop species based on growers’ unique situations and goals.”
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As #NewHampshire summers grow drier, farmers evolve to cope
by Molly Rains, September 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
Excerpt: "Some more analog farming techniques are also crucial for drought resilience, Mathur said. A foundational element of soil health is related to how much organic material it contains, a measure boosted by additives like #compost, #manure, or #CoverCrops. In addition to adding nutrients to the soil, these materials also cling to water, helping keep soil damp and cool in times of limited rainfall, she said.
"Once organic materials are present in the soil, they can be retained for longer with methods like #NoTill farming or #ReducedTill farming, in which farmers refrain as much as possible from plowing their fields. Chewing up a field before planting a crop adds air to the soil, fueling the decomposition of the important organic matter within, Delisle said. While no-till and reduced-till farming isn’t a good fit for every crop, he added, many New Hampshire farmers have had success using the method with the common local crops of corn and pumpkins.
"Preserving the organic matter in New Hampshire’s soil is important not only in times of drought but also, Delisle said, in times of heavy rain and flooding, when farm equipment can compress fields. This compacts the soil and makes it less hospitable to plants.
" 'Soils with higher organic matter in them have the capacity to spring back once they’re pressed down, and that’s an important factor in the resiliency of that soil,' Delisle said."
Learn more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hampshire-summers-grow-drier-farmers-090040658.html#SolarPunkSunday
#ClimateChangeAgriculture
#ClimateChange #Composting #ClimateChangeAdaptation #Resiliency -
As #NewHampshire summers grow drier, farmers evolve to cope
by Molly Rains, September 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
Excerpt: "Some more analog farming techniques are also crucial for drought resilience, Mathur said. A foundational element of soil health is related to how much organic material it contains, a measure boosted by additives like #compost, #manure, or #CoverCrops. In addition to adding nutrients to the soil, these materials also cling to water, helping keep soil damp and cool in times of limited rainfall, she said.
"Once organic materials are present in the soil, they can be retained for longer with methods like #NoTill farming or #ReducedTill farming, in which farmers refrain as much as possible from plowing their fields. Chewing up a field before planting a crop adds air to the soil, fueling the decomposition of the important organic matter within, Delisle said. While no-till and reduced-till farming isn’t a good fit for every crop, he added, many New Hampshire farmers have had success using the method with the common local crops of corn and pumpkins.
"Preserving the organic matter in New Hampshire’s soil is important not only in times of drought but also, Delisle said, in times of heavy rain and flooding, when farm equipment can compress fields. This compacts the soil and makes it less hospitable to plants.
" 'Soils with higher organic matter in them have the capacity to spring back once they’re pressed down, and that’s an important factor in the resiliency of that soil,' Delisle said."
Learn more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hampshire-summers-grow-drier-farmers-090040658.html#SolarPunkSunday
#ClimateChangeAgriculture
#ClimateChange #Composting #ClimateChangeAdaptation #Resiliency -
How Oregon foods are adapting to a changing climate
By Alejandro Figueroa (OPB) and Emily Hamilton (OPB)
June 26, 2025
Excerpt: "So while maybe in Eastern Oregon, where it’s likely going to get hotter and you’ll have more prolonged days of hot weather, you’ll be seeing wheat farmers, for instance, working to keep as much water in their soils as they possibly can by using cover crops.
"Those are crops that you don’t necessarily harvest. They just help the soil stay covered, and they also naturally add nutrients back into that soil.
"Or maybe you’ll see the use of more practical things like the use of #ShadeCloth or better #irrigation systems."
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/26/how-oregon-foods-adapting-climate-change/
#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChangeAgriculture #ClimateChange #CoverCrops #ClimateChangeAdaptation #OregonPublicRadio #Oregon #FoodSecurity
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How Oregon foods are adapting to a changing climate
By Alejandro Figueroa (OPB) and Emily Hamilton (OPB)
June 26, 2025
Excerpt: "So while maybe in Eastern Oregon, where it’s likely going to get hotter and you’ll have more prolonged days of hot weather, you’ll be seeing wheat farmers, for instance, working to keep as much water in their soils as they possibly can by using cover crops.
"Those are crops that you don’t necessarily harvest. They just help the soil stay covered, and they also naturally add nutrients back into that soil.
"Or maybe you’ll see the use of more practical things like the use of #ShadeCloth or better #irrigation systems."
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/26/how-oregon-foods-adapting-climate-change/
#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChangeAgriculture #ClimateChange #CoverCrops #ClimateChangeAdaptation #OregonPublicRadio #Oregon #FoodSecurity
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#NewZealand - Country Life: Lowering costs and enriching the soil - one farmer's regenerative journey
by Sally Round, 9 August 2025
"Imagine soil like a sponge, crawling with worms, beetles dragging dung down from the surface and a riot of vegetation on top.
"It's not everyone's idea of paradise, but it's like heaven for #Kaukapakapa farmer Stephen Newman.
"Newman, a founder of the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group and a member of farmer-led network Quorum Sense, told Country Life he used to farm very conventionally, until 'the penny dropped' a few years ago, when he watched a programme about regenerative farming.
"Since then, he has experimented with different regenerative methods on his 10-hectare block north of #Auckland city.
"Trials included sowing #CoverCrops, introducing stock for a short period of time to feed on long cover, rearing dung beetles to help transfer the nutrients in animal faeces further down the layers of soil and #composting.
"He started the #Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group about three years ago to help farmers improve soil health, enrich #biodiversity, increase water retention, and reduce reliance on fertilisers and pesticides.
" 'Everything we do with the regenerative approach is all about soil biology, creating that life in the ground.' "
#SolarPunkSunday #RegenerativeFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #FoodSecurity
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#NewZealand - Country Life: Lowering costs and enriching the soil - one farmer's regenerative journey
by Sally Round, 9 August 2025
"Imagine soil like a sponge, crawling with worms, beetles dragging dung down from the surface and a riot of vegetation on top.
"It's not everyone's idea of paradise, but it's like heaven for #Kaukapakapa farmer Stephen Newman.
"Newman, a founder of the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group and a member of farmer-led network Quorum Sense, told Country Life he used to farm very conventionally, until 'the penny dropped' a few years ago, when he watched a programme about regenerative farming.
"Since then, he has experimented with different regenerative methods on his 10-hectare block north of #Auckland city.
"Trials included sowing #CoverCrops, introducing stock for a short period of time to feed on long cover, rearing dung beetles to help transfer the nutrients in animal faeces further down the layers of soil and #composting.
"He started the #Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group about three years ago to help farmers improve soil health, enrich #biodiversity, increase water retention, and reduce reliance on fertilisers and pesticides.
" 'Everything we do with the regenerative approach is all about soil biology, creating that life in the ground.' "
#SolarPunkSunday #RegenerativeFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #SoilHealth #FoodSecurity
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Could This #Arizona Ranch Be a Model for #Southwest Farmers?
Oatman Flats has undergone a dramatic transformation, becoming the Southwest’s first #Regenerative #Organic Certified farm and a potential source of ideas for weathering #ClimateChange.
" 'We embraced the abundance of #heirloom and native crops in the #SonoranDesert,' Hansen said. 'We are looking at the land and asking it what we should grow, rather than asking the land to grow what we want.' " - Dax Hansen, owner of Oatman Flats Ranch.
By Samuel Gilbert
May 12, 2025Excerpt: "Regeneration Rooted in #Indigenous Practices
"Southern Arizona’s rich agricultural history stretches back more than 5,000 years. By 600 CE, the Hohokam people were constructing North America’s largest and most elaborate irrigation systems along the Salt and Gila Rivers. The descendants of the Hohokam—the Pima and Tohono O’odham—continued to farm the land up to and after the arrival of the Spanish, who began to colonize southern Arizona in the 1600s. They continue to farm in Arizona today.
"At the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, about two hours southeast of Oatman Flats, the San Xavier Co-op Farm uses historic land management practices and grows traditional crops that reflect their respect for the land, plants, animals, elders, and the sacredness of water.
"San Xavier Farm Manager Duran Andrews and his team plant #CoverCrops, rotate fields, and collect #rainwater.
" '[Regenerative agriculture] is nothing new to us,' Andrews said. 'We have been doing this for decades. Harmony between nature and people has been our approach all the time.' Rotating fields and cultivating multiple mutually beneficial species in the same fields improves water and soil quality and biodiversity in this harsh landscape.
" 'You’ve seen what the land looks like in five years; imagine it in 10. If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.'
"The co-op grows a variety of native crops that were developed in the region and cultivated for centuries or, in some cases, millennia, such as grains and beans, which they sell online. 'We irrigate them till they sprout, then cut them off till the monsoon shows up,' Andrews said. 'We try to keep crops in that hardy state through all the years and decades they have been here. We try not to get away from how things were done in the past.'
"They also grow White Sonora wheat, introduced to Arizona by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in the 1600s. 'It was a gift from Father Kino that we have taken as our own,' Andrews said. 'The [San Xavier] community was one of the first to grow this wheat.'
"Following the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s, the United States claimed parts of modern-day Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah. The Anglo ranchers who moved into the area dug canals to irrigate agricultural fields, transforming the landscape. An 1852 watercolor by surveyor Jon Russell Bartlett depicts a verdant valley with cottonwoods and mesquite trees lining a flowing Gila River as it passes through Oatman Flats Ranch.
"That landscape is unrecognizable today. The lower Gila has gone bone dry after years of upstream diversions, dams, water overuse, and climate change. In 2019, the Gila River earned the title of Most Endangered River by the nonprofit advocacy group American Rivers.
"Standing on the sandy Gila riverbed, which divides the north and south farms of Oatman Flats Ranch, Wang pointed to the nearby invasive salt cedars. Healing the land involves rebuilding the water, nutrient, and carbon cycles from the ground up, 'at the micro level,' he said. 'On the macro level, it’s broken.'
"The ranch team has poured resources into rebuilding soil health by planting #hedgerows and 30-plus species of cover crops, at a cost of approximately $100,000. The hedgerows, mostly native trees, were planted along the edges of the fields to reduce erosion and provide habitat for beneficial species, including #pollinators such as #bees and #hummingbirds.
"The cover crops — #millet, #chickpeas, #sunflowers, #sorghum, sudan grass, broadleaves, and #NativeGrasses among them—are planted immediately after harvesting wheat, to provide 'soil armor,' help conserve water, fix nitrogen in the soil, suppress weeds, attract beneficial insects, and sequester carbon. The once-barren land now supports life for more than 120 species of flora and fauna."
Read more:
https://civileats.com/2025/05/12/could-this-arizona-ranch-be-a-model-for-southwest-farmers/#SolarPunkSunday #RegenerativeAgriculture #RegenerativeFarming #RestorativeAgriculture #ClimateChangeFarming
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Could This #Arizona Ranch Be a Model for #Southwest Farmers?
Oatman Flats has undergone a dramatic transformation, becoming the Southwest’s first #Regenerative #Organic Certified farm and a potential source of ideas for weathering #ClimateChange.
" 'We embraced the abundance of #heirloom and native crops in the #SonoranDesert,' Hansen said. 'We are looking at the land and asking it what we should grow, rather than asking the land to grow what we want.' " - Dax Hansen, owner of Oatman Flats Ranch.
By Samuel Gilbert
May 12, 2025Excerpt: "Regeneration Rooted in #Indigenous Practices
"Southern Arizona’s rich agricultural history stretches back more than 5,000 years. By 600 CE, the Hohokam people were constructing North America’s largest and most elaborate irrigation systems along the Salt and Gila Rivers. The descendants of the Hohokam—the Pima and Tohono O’odham—continued to farm the land up to and after the arrival of the Spanish, who began to colonize southern Arizona in the 1600s. They continue to farm in Arizona today.
"At the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, about two hours southeast of Oatman Flats, the San Xavier Co-op Farm uses historic land management practices and grows traditional crops that reflect their respect for the land, plants, animals, elders, and the sacredness of water.
"San Xavier Farm Manager Duran Andrews and his team plant #CoverCrops, rotate fields, and collect #rainwater.
" '[Regenerative agriculture] is nothing new to us,' Andrews said. 'We have been doing this for decades. Harmony between nature and people has been our approach all the time.' Rotating fields and cultivating multiple mutually beneficial species in the same fields improves water and soil quality and biodiversity in this harsh landscape.
" 'You’ve seen what the land looks like in five years; imagine it in 10. If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.'
"The co-op grows a variety of native crops that were developed in the region and cultivated for centuries or, in some cases, millennia, such as grains and beans, which they sell online. 'We irrigate them till they sprout, then cut them off till the monsoon shows up,' Andrews said. 'We try to keep crops in that hardy state through all the years and decades they have been here. We try not to get away from how things were done in the past.'
"They also grow White Sonora wheat, introduced to Arizona by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in the 1600s. 'It was a gift from Father Kino that we have taken as our own,' Andrews said. 'The [San Xavier] community was one of the first to grow this wheat.'
"Following the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s, the United States claimed parts of modern-day Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah. The Anglo ranchers who moved into the area dug canals to irrigate agricultural fields, transforming the landscape. An 1852 watercolor by surveyor Jon Russell Bartlett depicts a verdant valley with cottonwoods and mesquite trees lining a flowing Gila River as it passes through Oatman Flats Ranch.
"That landscape is unrecognizable today. The lower Gila has gone bone dry after years of upstream diversions, dams, water overuse, and climate change. In 2019, the Gila River earned the title of Most Endangered River by the nonprofit advocacy group American Rivers.
"Standing on the sandy Gila riverbed, which divides the north and south farms of Oatman Flats Ranch, Wang pointed to the nearby invasive salt cedars. Healing the land involves rebuilding the water, nutrient, and carbon cycles from the ground up, 'at the micro level,' he said. 'On the macro level, it’s broken.'
"The ranch team has poured resources into rebuilding soil health by planting #hedgerows and 30-plus species of cover crops, at a cost of approximately $100,000. The hedgerows, mostly native trees, were planted along the edges of the fields to reduce erosion and provide habitat for beneficial species, including #pollinators such as #bees and #hummingbirds.
"The cover crops — #millet, #chickpeas, #sunflowers, #sorghum, sudan grass, broadleaves, and #NativeGrasses among them—are planted immediately after harvesting wheat, to provide 'soil armor,' help conserve water, fix nitrogen in the soil, suppress weeds, attract beneficial insects, and sequester carbon. The once-barren land now supports life for more than 120 species of flora and fauna."
Read more:
https://civileats.com/2025/05/12/could-this-arizona-ranch-be-a-model-for-southwest-farmers/#SolarPunkSunday #RegenerativeAgriculture #RegenerativeFarming #RestorativeAgriculture #ClimateChangeFarming
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🌾 Mapping what matters for sustainable farming: EvoLand’s C4 prototype detects where and which cover crops are used, supporting soil health, biodiversity & CAP compliance.
✔️ 80.7% accuracy
✔️ Sentinel-2 NDVI
✔️ Grass vs leaf-rich types🔗 https://www.evo-land.eu/mapping-what-matters-cover-crop-typing-for-smarter-soil-management/
#CoverCrops #SoilHealth #SmartFarming #EvoLandEU #Copernicus #HorizonEurope #CLMS
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#RedClover is one of the plants I'm using for ongoing, longterm, #SoilRemediation efforts. Great nitrogen fixer & pollinators love their pretty pink flowers too.
#Bloomscrolling #florespondence #floral #Summer #Wsanec #flowers #botanical #perennials #nature #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #Zone8 #plants #photography #CoverCrops #SaveSoil #RemediateSoil #clovers
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#RedClover is one of the plants I'm using for ongoing, longterm, #SoilRemediation efforts. Great nitrogen fixer & pollinators love their pretty pink flowers too.
#Bloomscrolling #florespondence #floral #Summer #Wsanec #flowers #botanical #perennials #nature #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #Zone8 #plants #photography #CoverCrops #SaveSoil #RemediateSoil #clovers
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This was my first time trying a cover crop for weed suppression in the garden, and I think it's been a success!
My lazy method was to let some volunteer grass grow tall here over the winter and strim it when it had green seeds, around the end of March. Then I covered it with a tarp until it was time to plant beans in mid May. This spot previously had frequent mullein, herb robert, and grasses.
#gardening #WeedManagement #SoilBuilding #CoverCrops #NoTill
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This was my first time trying a cover crop for weed suppression in the garden, and I think it's been a success!
My lazy method was to let some volunteer grass grow tall here over the winter and strim it when it had green seeds, around the end of March. Then I covered it with a tarp until it was time to plant beans in mid May. This spot previously had frequent mullein, herb robert, and grasses.
#gardening #WeedManagement #SoilBuilding #CoverCrops #NoTill
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@Virginicus I am not sure I am into fertilizer anymore. I may ask my neighbors in Maine to donate ordinary soil and I can ad cover crops like white clover. #gardening #covercrops
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#Farmers show a significant intention-action gap regarding #sustainable practices. Predictors of #intention to adopt do not necessarily predict actual #behaviour. Only past experience with a practice (e.g. #covercrops) & strong intentions (but not weak) predict adoption: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102522
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how growers use cover crops to make better wine https://www.diningandcooking.com/1726370/how-growers-use-cover-crops-to-make-better-wine/ #Australia #biodiversity #CoverCrops #sustainability #Wine #WineUSA
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how growers use cover crops to make better wine https://www.diningandcooking.com/1726370/how-growers-use-cover-crops-to-make-better-wine/ #Australia #biodiversity #CoverCrops #sustainability #Wine #WineUSA
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This year I tried some new methods, including undersowing with clover. Immediately after planting my main crops, I broadcast medium red clover seed onto the garden beds. This worked really well with wheat / barley. These grasses grew quickly and suppressed the clover until I harvested grains (mid-July). No longer shaded, the clover took off and established a thick stand. The clover will survive until next spring, at which point I will hoe it in. #gardening #CoverCrops #legumes
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This year I tried some new methods, including undersowing with clover. Immediately after planting my main crops, I broadcast medium red clover seed onto the garden beds. This worked really well with wheat / barley. These grasses grew quickly and suppressed the clover until I harvested grains (mid-July). No longer shaded, the clover took off and established a thick stand. The clover will survive until next spring, at which point I will hoe it in. #gardening #CoverCrops #legumes
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Nice study. And with prsctical relevance.
We really need #intercropping and multispecies cover-cropping get on the ground!(And acknowledge that there are many wonderful examples of indigenous people managing their orchards way more advanced than anyone practicing #PrecisionAgriculture )
#SoilMicrobiology #SoilMicrobiome #SoilScience #Agriculture #ConservationAgriculture #SustainableAgriculture #OrganicAgriculture #CoverCrops #Intercropping #Biodiversity #Agroecology
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Nice study. And with prsctical relevance.
We really need #intercropping and multispecies cover-cropping get on the ground!(And acknowledge that there are many wonderful examples of indigenous people managing their orchards way more advanced than anyone practicing #PrecisionAgriculture )
#SoilMicrobiology #SoilMicrobiome #SoilScience #Agriculture #ConservationAgriculture #SustainableAgriculture #OrganicAgriculture #CoverCrops #Intercropping #Biodiversity #Agroecology
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This Overlooked Benefit of Daikon Radish #pasturedpigs #covercrops #soilhealth #foodstr
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5XQdUrv05kc -
Pumpkins, tomatoes and cover crops! My garden is still working.
The cover crop (field peas and oats) was inoculated with a bacteria that will help the peas fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into nodules on its roots. These nodules will break down and help fertilize the ground for next year! The biomass from the cover crop will keep weeds from forming in the fall and break down over winter after the heavy frosts kill the oats and peas.
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New publication: Cover crop mixtures do not assemble markedly distinct soil #microbiotas as compared to #monocultures in a multilocation field experiment. #biodiversity #agriculture #microbiome #covercrops #pathogens #soil
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105573 -
Tiny little rye sprouts coming up from all the rain we've had in #sacramento
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This video is giving me some ideas. I am considering cover cropping all of my veggie beds over Winter next year.
The idea is: start cover crops in Fall. When they are done, cover with cardboard. Organic material dies and breaks down. Cardboard prevents weeds. Beds in great shape come Spring and need less compost.
Video is called "I Stopped Buying Compost for Two Years" by No-Till Growers.