Cover Crops Advice

What cover crop would you recommend to keep down weeds, combat nematodes and provide a green manure for an orchard?
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A blend of 80% Mammoth Red Clover and 20% Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover at a seeding rate of 12-15 pounds per acre would be suitable for your site.

I have been reading about planting hairy vetch in my garden beds in the fall as a green manure. What are your recommendations for garden use? Till or shred?
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Planting the vegetables right into the growing vetch would allow for additional weed control, but could compete with your vegetable for sunlight/moisture nutrients. Tilling the vetch into the soil would be considered green manure adding carbon and nitrogen to the soil.

We recommend planting cover crop in the fall and lightly tilling it under in the spring. You may want to till multiple times depending on your site. You will also want to wait at least two weeks before planting after tilling.. If you do not till it ahead of time, the decomposing material has the potential to consume the available oxygen and cause problems among your vegetables. Hairy Vetch is a good choice for green manure as well as Crimson Clover.

We now offer two NEW garden cover crop mixes, the Season Finale and Spring Rebound. Our Sping Rebound Mix would provide the green manure in spring!