Jessica Paige

Today at @adamafarm we crimped our pea & oat cover crop! We direct seeded peas and oats very early spring. These beds are some of the lowest spots of the farm.
Adding some cover crop seed to these beds will have a number of benefits, including the reduction of flooding, which we were experiencing in early spring. We also experienced quite a bit of soil erosion due to flood rains. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how this cover crop can handle and mitigate any potential flood damage in the future.
Cover crop also adds a great amount of fertility and nutrients to the soil. Think ‘natural fertilizer’ 😌😉. The roots and organic matter all work together to add to the soil ecology.
Crimping the cover crop will stop the growth of the cover crop. As we crimp the stems, the indent will cause the plant to stop soaking up water from the ground.
To ensure further termination, we tarp the crimped cover crop for 3 weeks.
Leaving the dead cover crop as a layer of mulch, we’ll then plant potatoes through the terminated cover crop / dead organic matter & compost.

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