Southern SAWG-Planning the Planting of Cover Crops and Cash Crops

Planning the Planting ofCover Crops and Cash Crops Daniel Parson Parson Produce 404.452.4321 www.parsonproduce.com

Parson Produce•  The Farmhouse B & B is 40 acres•  3.25 acres vegetable and cut flower•  Small Apiary•  300 shiitake logs•  Applying for organic certification

Parson Produce Marketing•  75 member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)•  Restaurants: –  Stella s Southern Bistro –  High Cotton Greenville –  American Grocery•  Live Oak Farm Store and Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery•  TD Saturday Market, Greenville

Why Rotations?•  Required for certified organic•  Reduce pest pressure•  Reduce weed problems•  Improve crop fertility•  Reduce crop disease•  Include cover crops in production

Certified OrganicThe producer must manage cropnutrients and soil fertility through rotations, cover crops, and the application of plant and animal materials

What is a Cover Crop?A cover crop is grown to support the production of other crops; not forharvest. Cover crop residue is left on the surface in a no-till system or incorporated into the soil in a tillage system.

Pest Control•  Biodiversity•  Cover crops attract beneficials•  Break cycles of infestationExample: soil-borne nematodes that are plant-family specific

Buckwheat Blooming

Syrphid Flies

Natural Enemy Habitat

Beneficial InsectsAssassin Bug Lacewing EggsPredatory Syrphid FlyStink Bug Photos by Debbie Roos http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html

Beneficial Insects Big-Eyed Bug Minute Pirate BugNewport News Master Gardeners From University of Nebraska- Lincoln/Photo by Jack Dykinga, image from the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Weed Control•  Crop/weed timing•  Diverse cultivation methods•  Cover crops as smother crops Example: cultivation of winter squash before vines extend

Weed Management

Crop Fertility•  Certain crops deplete certain nutrients•  Some crops make nutrients more available•  Cover crops•  Different crop fertilization strategies

Crop FertilityExample: adding compost to one crop, followed by one that needs well- decomposed organic matter Example: straw mulch on tomatoes increases organic matter for following crop

Fertility Management

Disease Control•  Break the cycle of soil-borne disease•  Keep disease from building up•  Increase beneficial microorganisms•  Pathogens with limited host range•  Pathogens without airborne spores

Diseases Poorly Controlled•  Damping off•  Verticillium wilt (300+ susceptible)•  Anthracnose - beans, cukes, peppers•  Fusarium - tomatoes, peas, melons, dahlias•  Root knot nematodes - corn, lettuce, tomatoes

Disease Management

What is a Good Cover Crop?•  Legumes –  Nitrogen fixation (70-200 lb/acre N)•  Grasses –  Add biomass (1-5 ton/acre dry) –  Conserve nutrients•  Other vigorous growers

How to Plant Cover Crops•  Minimal tillage to clean field and cover –  Fine seed on surface –  Larger seed sow before final cultivation•  Achieve full coverage•  Encourage vigorous germination•  Consider following crop

How to Plow in Cover Crops•  Early bloom stage before seed sets•  Mow and shred•  Allow to dry and shrink•  Shallow tillage to incorporate•  Wait 4 weeks before direct seeding

Warm Season Legumes•  Soybean –  Upright easy to grow•  Velvet bean (up to 200#N/acre) –  Climbing vines love heat –  Requires cultivation or companion planting•  Cowpea (100-150#N/acre) –  Vigorous vines love heat

Velvet Bean

Warm Season Grasses•  Sudan/Sorghum (4-5 tons/acre dry) –  Great biomass –  Requires mowing•  Pearl millet –  Shorter stature•  Browntop millet –  Short season

Sudan/Sorghum

Warm Season Broadleaves•  Buckwheat (1-1.5 ton/acre dry) –  Short season –  Prolific blooms attract beneficial insects –  Cycles Calcium•  Sunflower –  Great scaffold for climbers –  Possible harvest with non-climbers

Cool Season Legumes•  Crimson Clover (70-130#N/acre) –  Rich in N and blooms•  Fava bean –  banner for N and biomass•  Hairy Vetch (90-200#N/acre)•  Austrian Winter Pea

Crimson Clover, Fava Bean and Rye

Hairy Vetch

Austrian Winter Peas

Cool Season Grasses•  Cereal or Grain Rye –  Great height –  Winter hardiness•  Oats –  Early biomass and semi winter-hardy•  Wheat –  Smaller stature, hardy

Primary Mixes--Summer•  Buckwheat, Soybean, and Sudan –  Early bloom of buckwheat –  Mow when soybeans bloom•  Buckwheat alone in sequence –  Short season cover –  Constant bloom for insects

Buckwheat, Soybean, Sudan

Primary Mixes--Winter•  Rye and hairy vetch –  More biomass formed –  Precedes later season crops•  Oats and Crimson Clover –  Precedes spring crops –  Better N source for short crops

How to Design a Rotation•  Measure and map your fields•  Divide into equal-sized ‘rotational units’•  Group cash crops: family, seasonality•  Create rotational plan outline•  Fill in with cover crops•  Create detailed field plan

212 Feet225 Feet 225 Feet 325 Feet 225 Feet

8 127 11 136 105 94321

Plant Families•  Cucurbitaceae - squash, melons, cucumbers, lufa, pumpkins,•  Solanaceae - tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato•  Convolvulaceae - sweet potato•  Malvaceae - okra, cotton•  Asteraceae - lettuce, sunflower, endive•  Chenopodiaceae - spinach, beet, chard

Plant Families•  Brassicaceae - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, brussel sprouts, arugula, boc choi•  Apiaceae - carrot, celery, fennel, cilantro•  Fabaceae - snap beans, peas•  Lilliaceae - garlic, onion•  Poaceae - rye, oats, sudangrass

Timing of Crop•  Planting through harvest•  Over-wintering or perennial•  Consider double cropping•  Cover crops and incorporation

Spring and Fall•  Carrots and Beets•  Broccoli•  Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Kale•  Potatoes (Spring only)•  Arugula, Turnips, Lettuce, etc.

Summer•  Beans and Flowers•  Peppers and Eggplant•  Cucumbers and Squash•  Tomatoes•  Sweet Potatoes•  Okra•  Melons

Overwintering•  Garlic•  Various Cover Crops

Arrange Crops•  Note-card method•  Blank grid method: column names –  Field Number –  Crops and Cover Crops –  Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall

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Field Rotation Plan 2012Field Crop Season Winter 1 Broccoli Spring Soybeans/Buckwheat Summer Carrots and Beets Fall Rye Aisles Winter 2 Potatoes Spring Sudex/Soybeans Summer Garlic Fall Winter 3 Spring Late Flowers/Beans Summer Wheat/Crimson Clover Fall Winter 4 Spring Okra Summer Rye/Hairy Vetch Fall Winter 5 Spring Peppers/Eggplant Summer Oats/Winter Peas Fall Winter 6 Arugula and Lettuce Spring Soybeans/Buckwheat Summer Cabbage and Kale Fall Rye/Crimson Clover Winter 7 Cucumbers/Squash Spring Summer Oats/Winter Peas Fall Winter 8 Carrots and Beets Spring Soybeans/Buckwheat Summer Broccoli Fall Rye/Clover Winter 9 Sweet Potatoes Spring Oats and Clover Summer Fall Winter 10 Cabbage and Kale Spring Buckwheat Summer Arugula and Lettuce Fall Wheat Aisles and Crimson Clover Winter 11 Spring Early Flowers and Beans Summer Rye and Hairy Vetch Fall Winter 12 Spring Melons Summer Rye and Crimson Clover Fall Winter 13 Tomatoes Spring Oats and Winter Peas Summer Fall

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Field 1 Layout Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle Chioggia Beets Radish Chioggia Beets Leaf Mulch Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle Lettuce Mix Radish Arugula Roquette Leaf Mulch Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle Braizing Mix Radish Spring Onions (Failure) Leaf Mulch Georgia Sweet Onions Red Ace Beets Red Ace Beets Leaf Mulch Sugar Snap Peas Sugar Snap Peas Sugar Snap Peas Sugar Snap Peas*All beds 50 feet on 5 foot centers Tillage and bed preparation March,Tillage 2004Planting March, 2004Harvest April-June, 2004 Fertrel 4-2-4 OMRI approved bandFertility applied at 100#N/acre

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Date-Transplant Actual Date-Seeding Actual Date-Harvest Actual Date-Transplant Est Date-Seeding Est Date-Harvest Est Days to Harvest Days SD to TD Actual Beds # of Beds Variety Field Crop De Cicco Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 1 1 Batavia Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 2 2 Gypsy Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 6 6 Packman Broccoli 12 28 28 56 49 105 6 6 Famosa Cabbage 12 28 28 56 70 126 1 1 Jersey Wakefield Cabbage 12 28 28 56 63 119 2 2 Even Star Champion Collards 2 28 28 56 60 116 2 4 Lacinato Kale 9 28 28 56 60 116 3 6 Siberian Kale 2 28 28 56 60 116 3 6 Red Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 4 Green Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 4 Kohlrabi Kohlrabi 9 35 28 63 50 113 1 2 Korridor Kohlrabi 7 35 28 63 50 113 1 2 Date-Harvest Actual Windsor Fava Bean 4 42 75 117 4 8 Date-Harvest Est # seeds per foot # of Rows / Bed Perfection Fennel 2 42 35 77 80 157 1 3 # of Seeds / Oz Ounces of Seed Feet per Ounce Red Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 1 Plants / Foot Green Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 1 Actual Beds # of Plants # of Seeds Sugar Snap Pea 2 42 58 100 4 8 # of Beds # of Flats Flat Size Rowfeet Korridor Kohlrabi 7 49 28 77 50 127 1 2 Chioggia Beets 7 56 55 111 1.5 4 Red Ace Beets 7 56 50 106 3 9 Golden Beets 7 56 50 106 1.5 4114 1 100 0.667 1 66.7 50 2 200 6000 0.034 Scarlet Nantes Carrot 7 56 65 121 2 6114 2 200 0.667 1 133.4 50 4 400 6000 0.067 Yaya Carrot 7 56 56 112 2 6114 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167 Purple Haze Carrot 7 56 56 112 1 3105 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167 Napoli Carrot 7 56 58 114 2 6126 1 Red 100 1 Lettuce 1 100 2 56 72 2 28 288 84 7000 56 140 0.042 0.5 1119 2 Green 200 1 Lettuce 1 200 2 56 72 4 28 576 84 7000 56 140 0.083 0.5 1116 2 Corno di Toro400 1 Pepper 2 400 6 56 72 7 70 1008 126 7000 75 201 0.144 2 4116 3 Anaheim 600 1 Pepper 2 600 6 56 72 10 70 1440 126 7000 75 201 0.206 1 2116 3 Poblano 600 1 Pepper 2 600 6 56 72 10 70 1440 126 7000 70 196 0.206 1 2112 1.5 Pimiento 450 1.2 Pepper 3 540 6 56 128 5 70 1280 126 24000 70 196 0.054 1 2112 1.5 450 California Wonder Green/Red 1.2 Pepper 3 540 6 56 128 5 70 1280 126 24000 70 196 0.054 6 12113 1 Hot mix 200 1 Pepper 2 200 6 56 72 4 70 576 126 6500 100 226 0.089 1 2113 1 200 California Wonder Orange 1 Pepper 2 200 6 56 72 4 70 576 126 6500 85 211 0.089 3 6

Rotation Questions?•  Measure and map your fields•  Divide into equal-sized ‘rotational units’•  Group cash crops: family, seasonality•  Create rotational plan outline•  Fill in with cover crops•  Create detailed field plan

Resources•  National Center for Appropriate Technology www.attra.ncat.org•  Available online at www.sare.org –  Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual –  Using Cover Crops Profitably•  Adams-Briscoe Seed Company www.abseed.com

Planning the Planting ofCover Crops and Cash Crops Daniel Parson Parson Produce 404.452.4321 www.parsonproduce.com

Southern SAWG-Planning the Planting of Cover Crops and Cash Crops

by parsonproduce on Jan 21, 2012

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