Planning the Planting of Cover 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 Organic

�The producer must manage crop nutrients 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 for

harvest. 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 infestation

Example: soil-borne nematodes that are plant-family specific

Buckwheat Blooming

Syrphid Flies

Natural Enemy Habitat

Beneficial Insects Assassin Bug

Photos by Debbie Roos http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html

Lacewing Eggs

Syrphid Fly Predatory Stink Bug

Beneficial Insects Big-Eyed Bug Minute Pirate Bug

Newport 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 Fertility

Example: 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

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

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325 Feet 212 Feet

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

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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

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

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

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 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

Field Rotation Plan 2012

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

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Chioggia Beets

Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle

Radish Chioggia Beets Leaf Mulch

Lettuce Mix

Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle

Radish Arugula Roquette Leaf Mulch

Braizing Mix

Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle

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

Tillage and bed preparation March,

2004

Planting March, 2004

Harvest April-June, 2004

Fertility

Fertrel 4-2-4 OMRI approved band

applied at 100#N/acre

Field 1 Layout

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De Cicco Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 1 100 0.667 1 66.7 50 2 200 6000 0.034Batavia Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 2 200 0.667 1 133.4 50 4 400 6000 0.067Gypsy Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167Packman Broccoli 12 28 28 56 49 105 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167Famosa Cabbage 12 28 28 56 70 126 1 100 1 1 100 72 2 288 7000 0.042Jersey Wakefield Cabbage 12 28 28 56 63 119 2 200 1 1 200 72 4 576 7000 0.083Even' Star Champion Collards 2 28 28 56 60 116 2 400 1 2 400 72 7 1008 7000 0.144Lacinato Kale 9 28 28 56 60 116 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 7000 0.206Siberian Kale 2 28 28 56 60 116 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 7000 0.206Red Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 450 1.2 3 540 128 5 1280 24000 0.054Green Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 450 1.2 3 540 128 5 1280 24000 0.054Kohlrabi Kohlrabi 9 35 28 63 50 113 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Korridor Kohlrabi 7 35 28 63 50 113 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Windsor Fava Bean 4 42 75 117 4 800 90 3.1 2 2444.44 275 8.889Perfection Fennel 2 42 35 77 80 157 1 300 1 3 300 72 5 720 7000 0.103Red Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Green Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Sugar Snap Pea 2 42 58 100 4 800 80 25 2 20000 2000 10Korridor Kohlrabi 7 49 28 77 50 127 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Chioggia Beets 7 56 55 111 1.5 450 150 15 3 6600 2200 3Red Ace Beets 7 56 50 106 3 900 150 15 3 13200 2200 6Golden Beets 7 56 50 106 1.5 450 150 15 3 6600 2200 3Scarlet Nantes Carrot 7 56 65 121 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Yaya Carrot 7 56 56 112 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Purple Haze Carrot 7 56 56 112 1 300 600 30 3 9000 18000 0.5Napoli Carrot 7 56 58 114 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Red Lettuce 2 56 28 84 56 140 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Green Lettuce 2 56 28 84 56 140 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Corno di Toro Pepper 6 56 70 126 75 201 2 400 1 2 400 72 7 1008 4000 0.252Anaheim Pepper 6 56 70 126 75 201 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144Poblano Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144Pimiento Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144California Wonder Green/Red Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 6 1200 1 2 1200 72 20 2880 4000 0.72Hot mix Pepper 6 56 70 126 100 226 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144California Wonder Orange Pepper 6 56 70 126 85 211 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 4000 0.36Cranberry Red Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!All Blue Potato 3 56 28 84 120 204 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Caribe Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Yukon Gold Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Standard Arugula 7 63 28 91 0.5 150 500 30 3 4500 15000 0.3Bright Lights Chard 2 63 35 98 59 157 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 1875 0.768Perfection Fennel 2 63 35 98 80 178 1 300 1 3 300 72 5 720 7000 0.103

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De Cicco Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 1 100 0.667 1 66.7 50 2 200 6000 0.034Batavia Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 2 200 0.667 1 133.4 50 4 400 6000 0.067Gypsy Broccoli 12 28 28 56 58 114 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167Packman Broccoli 12 28 28 56 49 105 6 600 0.667 1 400.2 50 10 1000 6000 0.167Famosa Cabbage 12 28 28 56 70 126 1 100 1 1 100 72 2 288 7000 0.042Jersey Wakefield Cabbage 12 28 28 56 63 119 2 200 1 1 200 72 4 576 7000 0.083Even' Star Champion Collards 2 28 28 56 60 116 2 400 1 2 400 72 7 1008 7000 0.144Lacinato Kale 9 28 28 56 60 116 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 7000 0.206Siberian Kale 2 28 28 56 60 116 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 7000 0.206Red Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 450 1.2 3 540 128 5 1280 24000 0.054Green Lettuce 2 28 28 56 56 112 1.5 450 1.2 3 540 128 5 1280 24000 0.054Kohlrabi Kohlrabi 9 35 28 63 50 113 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Korridor Kohlrabi 7 35 28 63 50 113 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Windsor Fava Bean 4 42 75 117 4 800 90 3.1 2 2444.44 275 8.889Perfection Fennel 2 42 35 77 80 157 1 300 1 3 300 72 5 720 7000 0.103Red Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Green Lettuce 2 42 28 70 56 126 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Sugar Snap Pea 2 42 58 100 4 800 80 25 2 20000 2000 10Korridor Kohlrabi 7 49 28 77 50 127 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 6500 0.089Chioggia Beets 7 56 55 111 1.5 450 150 15 3 6600 2200 3Red Ace Beets 7 56 50 106 3 900 150 15 3 13200 2200 6Golden Beets 7 56 50 106 1.5 450 150 15 3 6600 2200 3Scarlet Nantes Carrot 7 56 65 121 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Yaya Carrot 7 56 56 112 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Purple Haze Carrot 7 56 56 112 1 300 600 30 3 9000 18000 0.5Napoli Carrot 7 56 58 114 2 600 600 30 3 18000 18000 1Red Lettuce 2 56 28 84 56 140 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Green Lettuce 2 56 28 84 56 140 0.5 150 1.2 3 180 128 2 512 24000 0.022Corno di Toro Pepper 6 56 70 126 75 201 2 400 1 2 400 72 7 1008 4000 0.252Anaheim Pepper 6 56 70 126 75 201 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144Poblano Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144Pimiento Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144California Wonder Green/Red Pepper 6 56 70 126 70 196 6 1200 1 2 1200 72 20 2880 4000 0.72Hot mix Pepper 6 56 70 126 100 226 1 200 1 2 200 72 4 576 4000 0.144California Wonder Orange Pepper 6 56 70 126 85 211 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 4000 0.36Cranberry Red Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!All Blue Potato 3 56 28 84 120 204 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Caribe Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Yukon Gold Potato 3 56 28 84 80 164 5 500 10 1 #VALUE! #VALUE!Standard Arugula 7 63 28 91 0.5 150 500 30 3 4500 15000 0.3Bright Lights Chard 2 63 35 98 59 157 3 600 1 2 600 72 10 1440 1875 0.768Perfection Fennel 2 63 35 98 80 178 1 300 1 3 300 72 5 720 7000 0.103

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 of Cover Crops and Cash

Crops Daniel Parson

Parson Produce 404.452.4321

www.parsonproduce.com