No-Till: Using Multi-Species Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Innovative No-Till: Using Multi-Species Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health - YouTube

Innovative No-Till: Using Multi-Species Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health - YouTube

I found this to be interesting. We all know tilling the soil degrades the soil, and that using a cover crop can help reduce weeds. Here farmers are not only using no till methods but are seeding 8 to 20 species seed mixes of cover crops all at once in the same field. Often comprised of other food crops such as Radish, Turnip, Oat, Soybean, etc... that are later rolled under as a mulch for something like corn or sunflowers.

So next year I think I'll try mass seeding one of the garden beds with Parsley, Carrots, Basil, Lettuce, Peas, Onions, Radish, Corn and Sunflowers all at once with maybe a few cucumbers growing up a lattice to the side. The idea here is if you have room for weeds to grow, then you have room to grow more food.

[Equilibrium]

I tried this in 1 bed using soybeans and turnips. No problem with the turnips but I did get a few straggler soybeans coming up. It worked for me. I was actually pleased with the results and grew corn where I'd planted the soybeans and turnip greens. The variety of turnip I used was more for the leaves though not the root so that mighta made a difference.
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I'd like to explore other cover crops. I know I've had good success using native prairie clovers before but that was in areas where I was starting native plants. I never had to worry about those re-seeding anywhere. Basil I might be worried about so I'd like to know how it goes for you.

[dapjwy]

Very cool idea.

No time to watch it now, but I like the ideas I'm hearing.

Just today, I was mowing grass around the garden thinking that I'd like to create an area that can be mowed and used as a mulch to help build my soil from year to year...and much the ground over winter. (Not the same thing, but my mind is open to improving my no till garden project.)