Description
Secale cereale & Vicia villosa
A mix of cold-hardy crops to help you build up your soil!
Cover crops are an easy & valuable way to feed soil microbes, protect soil from erosion, and build a refined soil structure that both holds and drains water. Sow this easy-to-grow mix in early fall to provide winter cover for your soil, or in early spring to choke out emerging weeds. Terminate it by tilling or turning it under the soil with a shovel or by solarizing with a heavy tarp.
Rye germinates and grows quickly and provides a LOT of biomass for the little soil-dwellers to feast upon. Vetch is a nitrogen-fixing legume that starts out a bit more slowly than rye but will use the rye as a ladder of sorts, climbing upward as it reaches for the sun. They make a great pair!
Also, heads up: there's a tiny amount of wheat in this mix as well, from the grower's combine. Wheat plays very nicely with rye & vetch so count yourself lucky if you get a few seeds in your packet!
Additional cover crop tips:
- Sow 2 pounds per 1000 square feet.
- Biomass and nutrient content is highest when the crop is 75% in flower--that's the best time to terminate it, BEFORE it goes to seed.
- You can terminate it with a heavy-duty tarp or by tilling or digging it under the soil.
- Mow or weed whack before terminating to help it break down faster in the soil.
Seeds grown by King's Crown Organics in King Hill, Idaho and Sunnyside Vine Farm in Lenore, Idaho.
350 seeds.
Directions: Broadcast 1 packet of seeds over an area covering 10-12 square feet. Rake the top layer of soil to bury the seeds, then water thoroughly until seeds germinate.
|
Planting Depth |
Seed Spacing |
Days to Germination |
Days to Maturity |
|
1/2" |
3" apart | 3-14 | varies |