Cover cropping

[MMagis]

Also called tillage radish. I’ve not tried them myself, nor have I ever seen them planted in this area. I do plan to plant a couple fall annual food plots next spring with them so they aren’t just sitting empty waiting for fall plantings. I hope to take advantage of the soil improvements, as well as using them to graze cattle in mid summer.

 

[Baranx4]

What are you calling a 田over crop? A cover crop is a plant that is planted with another crop to provide some 田over so that other crop can get established. Hope that made sense. Wheat is often planted as a cover crop over clover in the fall. Come spring/summer, the wheat is either mowed or harvested.
I get the impression that you mean something different when you say cover crop?

Where I live and on most site what you mentioned is called a nurse crop to protect the young seedlings. Cover crops are crops that are planted after harvesting or before the main crop to provide green manure and also weed suppression.

 

[Baranx4]

Also called tillage radish. I致e not tried them myself, nor have I ever seen them planted in this area. I do plan to plant a couple fall annual food plots next spring with them so they aren稚 just sitting empty waiting for fall plantings. I hope to take advantage of the soil improvements, as well as using them to graze cattle in mid summer.

Look for groundhog forage radishes as they have an incredibly long taproot. I've planted brassicas for a few years and usually plant them in late july or early august for good growth. I made the mistake in the past to plant them too late and too thick as they will take over a food plot. Also they love nitrogen. Deer love them after they sweeten up after a good frost.

MMagis I see your from Ohio, you might want to contact ernst seed for their brassicas they are located in western pa. and have an online catalog. I've ordered from them in the past with quick service for everything from clover to brassicas to switchgrass.

 

[hrcarver]

Where I live and on most site what you mentioned is called a nurse crop to protect the young seedlings. Cover crops are crops that are planted after harvesting or before the main crop to provide green manure and also weed suppression.

Ditto.

And there may be a problem with what you are doing. Plowing under, especially doing it twice in one year. There is a very good chance that you are losing more organic matter than you are putting back.

The radishes would help you. Just leave them in the ground.

 

[ayelvington]

Where I live and on most site what you mentioned is called a nurse crop to protect the young seedlings. Cover crops are crops that are planted after harvesting or before the main crop to provide green manure and also weed suppression.

I plant as a cover crop for the reasons that you mentioned.

 

[MacLawn]

Those long rooted radishes are Japanese daikon - we lived in Japan many years, and love them! The Japanese make pickles out of them, grind them up to put in sauce for tempura, cut them up and boil like regular turnip roots, etc. They are great!! If you like turnips, that is, which we do. I didn't know they could be used to help the soil; I'll have to try that too.

 

[wngsprd]

I've had good luck planting crimson clover as a cover crop on some of my plots. The photo attached is from April. Decided to test one plot by bush-hogging it in June after it seeded and letting it reseed. It grew and looks great now going into the winter.