As summer starts to wind down and fall approaches, it is time to start thinking about the post-harvest environment of your garden. Best practice shows us that, dollar for dollar, planting a cover crop is the best thing you can do for your garden. Here are some of the benefits: prevents erosion, improves soil health, adds organic matter, attracts pollinators, promotes and feeds your soil biology, increases tilth, and suppresses weeds. What does this mean for you? Your garden will see increased … [Read more...] about What are Cover Crops? And Why Use Them?
Cover crops
Hammer the Heat by Falling for Cover Crops Part 1
The tyrannical heat that this summer has bestowed upon the south remains unrelenting. Sweat seeps while humidity hangs in the air like invisible wet cement. Besides bathing in ice, the only way to ignore the heat is to dream of the fall garden. Simple tasks like hoeing and direct sowing loses its oppressive air in the autumn. Thoughts don't seem as stuffy, and the mind can wander to whimsical thoughts of planting without salty perspiration lathering the eyes. One of the best preparatory … [Read more...] about Hammer the Heat by Falling for Cover Crops Part 1
The Dirt on Those Sneaky Cover Crops
Ah, the uncelebrated cover crop. Saviour of many, yet thanked by few. They are not as sexy as the voluptuous tomato nor do they possess the rainbow gathering of certain chards. Cover crops remain unsung heroes because most of their goodwill happens under the soil (although one would certainly be devoid of heart if they didn't find a field of crimson clover breathtaking). Cover crops create a soil microclimate, which are rich in nutrients. Basically, a grower can scatter cover … [Read more...] about The Dirt on Those Sneaky Cover Crops
