Category Archives: Cover Crops

When cover crops die

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

I awoke to very frosty fields this morning, as is expected this time of year in Maine. The basil died long ago, the peppers have been limping along through light frost after light frost until they finally died last night. … Continue reading →

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Biodrilling: how cover crop roots can help your ailing soil

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

I recently started digging with a 16″ (40 cm) spade. I play in the soil a lot, but this tool has expanded my horizons. (Please keep reading even if that soil pun made you roll your eyes). It’s a very simple … Continue reading →

Posted in Cover Crops, Radish, Soil health | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Recycling sulfur with Brassica cover crops

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

Among the macronutrients, sulfur (S) doesn’t get a lot of attention. Before coal-fired power plants were forced to clean up their emissions, atmospheric deposition of S each year far exceeded most crops’ needs in most areas. The downside of cleaner … Continue reading →

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Weather “erraticization” (yes, I made up that word) and interseeding cover crops

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

After you say it a few times, “erraticization” starts to roll off the tongue, and I think it’s a pretty good word to describe the weather patterns we’ve been experiencing. Long Island had record-setting rains last week (>13″ in 24 … Continue reading →

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Getting cover crop seeds (in a quantity you can use) and putting them in the ground

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

This morning, I received a timely question from a a farmer in New Jersey: “Is the ‘Tillage Radish’  that is protected / copyrighted a better product than say, Forage Radish from Fedco seeds?” Good question, and I had just been … Continue reading →

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As the world turns: reflections on daylight, temperature, and why you need to seed your fall cover crops NOW

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

Update February 2015: read more about Jan’s work in this more recent post, with links to an eOrganic webinar he presented in January, 2015. Back to the original post… If you’re in the no-till vegetable world (especially if you’re an organic … Continue reading →

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From small seeds to big roots: no-till organic carrots in Maine

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Natalie Lounsbury

We all have biases. In research, we randomize things and establish clear rules to avoid having our biases influence results. But I have concluded that it doesn’t violate any rules of research for me to admit one bias: I like … Continue reading →

Posted in carrots, Cover Crops, Radish, Soil moisture, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment