Garden clover....

[growalot]

I mentioned I realized I can not compete with the weeds so just took some plot seed(wht clover) and threw it all over the garden once my plants were up....Dang if it didn't take off like a wild fire, it is smoothing out lots weeds...It's actually looking better than the clover/ alfalfa and alfalfa/clover plots that line the garden. I shortened my weed whacker line and went in and trimmed it down....I found some really nice blue Hubbard and it seems to be helping stem the second planting of broccoli from bolting...and even though my bush beans look pitiful they are just loaded with beans.

 So once every thing is done I'll pull down all the trellises place them around the grapes and blueberries.

 

I'll leave the gate open and lower top section of fencing for the deer......next years garden will get a good boost from the clover being incorporated into it and hopefully less weeds will come up....

[sailinghudson25]

I live over by the Schoharie valley in NY.  Lots of vegetable farming.  Pretty much every field is sewn with Rye after the growing season.  Before winter comes, it gets maybe 6 inch tall or so without going to seed.  And then it perks up before getting cultivated over in maybe late april or so.  It grows fast so it chokes out the other plant.  The mild discing they do wakes up the weed seed, then the rye drown them out for competition.

 

Also, the rye does two extra things.  It provides lots of organic matter that is easily compostable, which helps soil quality.  As the rye breaks down, there is a chemical or two produces that ruins germination rates of certain seeds.  They call it an alleopathic effect. 

 

There's tons of farms out here with extremely little to no weeds, with minimum row cultivator or hillers to turn the weed roots.

 

I have been using rye for years in my gardens.  It is also a great starter seed for a food plot to choke out initial weeds, or in places with poor soil quality.  It is very pH and soil nutrient tolerant and seems to germinate well in poorly prepared beds.  Buckwehat is also good for that too,  although I never used it.  I believe it's more of a warm season plant to grow, versus a cold season plant like rye.

[growalot]

Thanks being doing all that for many many years...I remember when I was touting the benefits of buckwheat and ppl didn't even know what buck wheat was,,,But it's always good to give ppl a reminder of good farm practice.

[thphm]

Schoharie  valley has to be one of the best vegie farming areas in the eastern part of N.Y. state. Went threw there yesterday on the way to Albany and back , looks like the corn is ready to pick and some others also. We had relatives that had a farm Dairy and Crops just down from the 145/ 30 split  on Rt. 30, but they are long gone about 20 years ago.

[growalot]

That's been doing....not being

[landtracdeerhunter]

The deer eat weeds to and have a surprising amount of food value. I believe you posted an article on that subject.

[growalot]

Oh no... we have rain for the next several days...and that dang clover is growing like crazy in the garden...I may not be able to find my plants when I go back  out to weed wack it!...lol

[thphm]

Planted clover on a sloping part of the yard that is hard to cut with the mower years  ago filled in nice It is flowering now and the animals hit it almost every day.

Looked out the window and 1 of the young woodchucks just walked up and started chewing on it.