2020 cover crop

cjp1953 · September 25, 2020

Sunday pulled my garden and tilled in some alfalfa pellets then planted Daikon radishes for this years cover crop.Last couple years used winter rye and hairy vetch.Radishes are up already and hoping I get good size before they are killed off in November.This was a very productive year for my tomatoes and peppers.

decherdt · September 25, 2020

I thought I saw you kicking the tires on a Mantis or some such tiller. Did you retire your S&J fork?
I went with a winter killed Sudex cover last Fall and this Spring the worms loved it. I did have to time my Spring planting before or well after any rains.
Previous years, with live rye cover as mulch, it soaked up so much of any rain it got, it left the soil workable most days.
Of course dealing with rye live through the Spring is extra work and I have traded in my grass shears for a propane weed burner to tame it.
Burning it is easier, but trickier

http://tomatoville.com/album.php?u=6756

cjp1953 · September 25, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by decherdt

I thought I saw you kicking the tires on a Mantis or some such tiller. Did you retire your S&J fork?
I went with a winter killed Sudex cover last Fall and this Spring the worms loved it. I did have to time my Spring planting before or well after any rains.
Previous years, with live rye cover as mulch, it soaked up so much of any rain it got, it left the soil workable most days.
Of course dealing with rye live through the Spring is extra work and I have traded in my grass shears for a propane weed burner to tame it.
Burning it is easier, but trickier

LOL After having both knees replaced 3 years ago I decided the tiller was the way to go.That 4 cycle Honda engine really does the job.I still have the fork,it needed a rest too.:lol

http://tomatoville.com/album.php?u=6756

decherdt · September 26, 2020

I think I could go for some in with rye if they were about the size of carrots. What kind did you use? Oops I see that vendors have Daikon or Tillage

~~Think~~ I wonder if they would winter kill in Texas. Sounds much easier than the double digging I did 10 years ago, there's some firm brown clay under the topsoil here.

cjp1953 · September 27, 2020

These can get very large,2 to 4 inches round you can do a search on Daikon Tillage radishes there are some videos on Youtube that show the size they can obtain.I would research your local farmers feed store and see what they recommend.

Goodloe · September 28, 2020

I'll be doing a mustard cover crop again this fall. Nematodes, ya know....

cjp1953 · September 29, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodloe

I'll be doing a mustard cover crop again this fall. Nematodes, ya know....

Last year I planted marigolds around my garden.They have the same effect not that I have a problem with nematodes but have rabbits that like to live under my tomato plants.They don't bother anything and I like the the looks of the flower boarder.

JRinPA · September 30, 2020

I ordered some daikon seed, enough for a few years. First time I have tried it as a cover crop. I have them in every row that is done for the year, put in over the last couple weeks. Be interesting to see what they do. It has been very dry until the last few days, and this rain tonight will really set the sprouting.

cjp1953 · September 30, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

I ordered some daikon seed, enough for a few years. First time I have tried it as a cover crop. I have them in every row that is done for the year, put in over the last couple weeks. Be interesting to see what they do. It has been very dry until the last few days, and this rain tonight will really set the sprouting.

Mine were up in 48 hours,I watered everyday.It takes around 60 days to mature for the ones planted.I was 2 weeks late when I planted on 9/22.Leaves now are 2 to 3 inches tall.What I have seen about them is they are very fast growers.

JRinPA · September 30, 2020

I had the order timed perfectly for the weather, but the supplier's "fast shipping" decided to take a week off. I ordered Wednesday. Should have went out Thursday. Or at least Friday. Saturday morning? Well Tuesday surely? No, I had to email the following Wednesday. They printed a slip 30 minutes later and then emailed me like "what did I expect, it was labor day weekend." So Fast Shipping meant 1 week delay to Hancock Seeds. These should have all been in the ground the day after Labor Day. Can't say I'm real happy about that.

cjp1953 · September 30, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

I had the order timed perfectly for the weather, but the supplier's "fast shipping" decided to take a week off. I ordered Wednesday. Should have went out Thursday. Or at least Friday. Saturday morning? Well Tuesday surely? No, I had to email the following Wednesday. They printed a slip 30 minutes later and then emailed me like "what did I expect, it was labor day weekend." So Fast Shipping meant 1 week delay to Hancock Seeds. These should have all been in the ground the day after Labor Day. Can't say I'm real happy about that.

When do you expect the first hard frost?It took a around two nights to kill them when I planted them 2 years ago but they were around 2 inches round.I believe I planted the second week of September that year.We have a feed store nearby that has the seeds.But the mail is messed up these days so I know how you feel.Good luck with cover crop.

JRinPA · October 1, 2020

They wouldn't all have been in the ground that early, just the rows I had that were finished and open plots at the comm garden. The earliest seeded and watered are up now about 3" I guess.

I first found daikon in fields here maybe 6 years back on some state land. There were a bunch of big fields of them. I dug some up to see what they were. Ended up cooking them too. In mid-November they were still green and 18" tall, and 3" diameter and 8-10" long. Somewhere around there, years back now. But I don't know when they were planted. And unfortunately I haven't seen them since.

Usually the first hard frost is mid October. Then it will get warm again at the end of October. I expect they will be growing until mid November at least. Generally it doesn't freeze until December, but some years there will be a light freeze as early as mid October, enough for skim ice, but not often.

NWS climate prediction center shows the next few months as warmer and dryer than avg. I think I read la nina pattern this winter. So maybe they'll be growing into mid December...I could even cover them for frost protection since they are in rows and I have lots of ag19. Extra work though. Between the delay, the weather timing, and my schedule I feel like I lost 2-1/2 weeks of cover crop growth for the initial plots.

I just seeded some today under my okra, which has a new rounds of flowers with this warm weather. That will be about it, I guess. I still have corn with ears forming for another two weeks. Have fall peas, and beans and squash. My raised beds out back have peppers and eggplants and sweet potatoes still in. All those will be too late for daikon and will need to be mulched/leaf mulched/manured.

cjp1953 · October 1, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

They wouldn't all have been in the ground that early, just the rows I had that were finished and open plots at the comm garden. The earliest seeded and watered are up now about 3" I guess.

I first found daikon in fields here maybe 6 years back on some state land. There were a bunch of big fields of them. I dug some up to see what they were. Ended up cooking them too. In mid-November they were still green and 18" tall, and 3" diameter and 8-10" long. Somewhere around there, years back now. But I don't know when they were planted. And unfortunately I haven't seen them since.

Usually the first hard frost is mid October. Then it will get warm again at the end of October. I expect they will be growing until mid November at least. Generally it doesn't freeze until December, but some years there will be a light freeze as early as mid October, enough for skim ice, but not often.

NWS climate prediction center shows the next few months as warmer and dryer than avg. I think I read la nina pattern this winter. So maybe they'll be growing into mid December...I could even cover them for frost protection since they are in rows and I have lots of ag19. Extra work though. Between the delay, the weather timing, and my schedule I feel like I lost 2-1/2 weeks of cover crop growth for the initial plots.

I just seeded some today under my okra, which has a new rounds of flowers with this warm weather. That will be about it, I guess. I still have corn with ears forming for another two weeks. Have fall peas, and beans and squash. My raised beds out back have peppers and eggplants and sweet potatoes still in. All those will be too late for daikon and will need to be mulched/leaf mulched/manured.

I never ate them but lots of people do.The seeds I had were 4 years old and all seemed to come up, kept them sealed in a coffee can in my basement.You have a good plan and knowledge on how to use them for the best results.Good luck and hope they arrive soon.

cjp1953 · October 16, 2020

Supposed to dip into the low 30's tonight,radishes are growing well so I pulled out my tarp and covered the garden.I would love another 3 or 4 weeks of growth.The next week looks good with rain and high temps in the 60's and lows in the 40's.Great weather for radish growth.

JRinPA · October 16, 2020

I should cover stuff tomorrow night, threatening frost here. My fall peas are about 4 ft tall and that should probably be the first thing to cover. It will probably not frost for another couple weeks.

September 25, 2020	#1
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	2020 cover crop Sunday pulled my garden and tilled in some alfalfa pellets then planted Daikon radishes for this years cover crop.Last couple years used winter rye and hairy vetch.Radishes are up already and hoping I get good size before they are killed off in November.This was a very productive year for my tomatoes and peppers.

September 25, 2020	#2
decherdt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 329	I thought I saw you kicking the tires on a Mantis or some such tiller. Did you retire your S&J fork? I went with a winter killed Sudex cover last Fall and this Spring the worms loved it. I did have to time my Spring planting before or well after any rains. Previous years, with live rye cover as mulch, it soaked up so much of any rain it got, it left the soil workable most days. Of course dealing with rye live through the Spring is extra work and I have traded in my grass shears for a propane weed burner to tame it. Burning it is easier, but trickier http://tomatoville.com/album.php?u=6756 __________________ 500 sq ft of raised rows zone 8a Last edited by decherdt; September 25, 2020 at 06:55 PM.

September 26, 2020	#4
decherdt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 329	I think I could go for some in with rye if they were about the size of carrots. What kind did you use? Oops I see that vendors have Daikon or Tillage ~~Think~~ I wonder if they would winter kill in Texas. Sounds much easier than the double digging I did 10 years ago, there's some firm brown clay under the topsoil here. __________________ 500 sq ft of raised rows zone 8a Last edited by decherdt; September 27, 2020 at 05:58 AM.

September 28, 2020	#6
Goodloe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Steens, MS 8a Posts: 410	I'll be doing a mustard cover crop again this fall. Nematodes, ya know.... __________________ ~Jon~ Downheah, Mississippi

October 1, 2020	#12
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	They wouldn't all have been in the ground that early, just the rows I had that were finished and open plots at the comm garden. The earliest seeded and watered are up now about 3" I guess. I first found daikon in fields here maybe 6 years back on some state land. There were a bunch of big fields of them. I dug some up to see what they were. Ended up cooking them too. In mid-November they were still green and 18" tall, and 3" diameter and 8-10" long. Somewhere around there, years back now. But I don't know when they were planted. And unfortunately I haven't seen them since. Usually the first hard frost is mid October. Then it will get warm again at the end of October. I expect they will be growing until mid November at least. Generally it doesn't freeze until December, but some years there will be a light freeze as early as mid October, enough for skim ice, but not often. NWS climate prediction center shows the next few months as warmer and dryer than avg. I think I read la nina pattern this winter. So maybe they'll be growing into mid December...I could even cover them for frost protection since they are in rows and I have lots of ag19. Extra work though. Between the delay, the weather timing, and my schedule I feel like I lost 2-1/2 weeks of cover crop growth for the initial plots. I just seeded some today under my okra, which has a new rounds of flowers with this warm weather. That will be about it, I guess. I still have corn with ears forming for another two weeks. Have fall peas, and beans and squash. My raised beds out back have peppers and eggplants and sweet potatoes still in. All those will be too late for daikon and will need to be mulched/leaf mulched/manured. Last edited by JRinPA; October 1, 2020 at 12:41 AM.

September 27, 2020	#5
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	These can get very large,2 to 4 inches round you can do a search on Daikon Tillage radishes there are some videos on Youtube that show the size they can obtain.I would research your local farmers feed store and see what they recommend.

September 30, 2020	#8
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	I ordered some daikon seed, enough for a few years. First time I have tried it as a cover crop. I have them in every row that is done for the year, put in over the last couple weeks. Be interesting to see what they do. It has been very dry until the last few days, and this rain tonight will really set the sprouting.

October 16, 2020	#14
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	Supposed to dip into the low 30's tonight,radishes are growing well so I pulled out my tarp and covered the garden.I would love another 3 or 4 weeks of growth.The next week looks good with rain and high temps in the 60's and lows in the 40's.Great weather for radish growth.