Turning over cover crop

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by windclimber

How long does it take winter rye and hairy vetch to decompose for transplants to benefit?

I don't even turn them under. I take a mulching mower and mow at the lowest height. Then I water the ground if it is a bit dry. Then I cover the whole area with news papers covered with mulch. Then I spray the whole thing down with a spray nozzle hose. Cover any spots that news paper shows through.

Depending on how long that takes .... with in a day or two I grab a bulb planter, a bucket of water with a transplanting solution, a sheet of card board, and a bucket of special prime dirt, diatomaceous earth, and my seedlings.

Now that you are set up, Take the bulb planter and cut a hole through the news paper to a little more than the depth you will plant. Put the dirt on your piece of cardboard and shake out any roots or plants that are growing in it.

Fill the hole to the top with water. (or transplant solution)

Put the seedling in and fill up the edges with the dirt from the hole and often you will run short if you shook out a lot of roots, use your good dirt from the bucket to fill in the rest.

Pull the mulch tight around the base of the plant

Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the seedling in a circle right on top of the mulch to block "migrating" pests. (I go the extra step of tapping the mulch so it filters down into the mulch) I use Safer® Brand Diatomaceous Earth - Bed Bug, Ant and Crawling Insect Killer because where I live I can't find a cheaper and larger bulk source. But any brand should work about the same if it is ground fine enough.

Work your way down the row and when finished walk away for 3 or 4 days. Resist the temptation to over water. You already watered the ground, moistened the mulch, and filled the hole with water. Even if the seedlings wilt a little, over watering is the worst thing you can do. You have to let the whole thing find a new equilibrium. Trust me. There is plenty of water for the seedlings, even here in hot dry Oklahoma.

Since the cover you mowed over isn't even really dead yet. It wont start decomposing until it dies. This slow releases the nitrogen and other nutrients over a very extended time. Some tough weeds will still be trying to push through the news paper weeks later! The mowed grass will start right away and that peak nitrogen will hit 2-3 weeks later just in time for your plants to use it for their growth spurt! But the roots and other weeds that take longer to die will keep your plants fed for months. Just top mulch later in the season if your mulch starts getting thin.

I have even used this technique over virgin sod or lawn that has NEVER been plowed or tilled and it works fantastic every time I ever tried it.

Save your tilling for the end of the year when you need to turn that mulch under and plant a new cover crop. Heck, sometimes I just leave the mulch and don't even worry about covers. But that depends a lot on what I plan to grow there next year.

I know it sounds crazy, and I admit I am lazy, but it has worked for me for years. Hope that helps.