Cover Crops Kansas State

8/9/2019 Cover Crops Kansas State

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BYCHARLES W. MARRRHONDA JANKEPAUL CONWAY

COVER CROPS FOR VEGETABLE GROWERS

COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITYAGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

AND COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE

Cover crops are not grow n for harvest; rather,they are grow n to p rotect and improve soils. Covercrops can improve soil tilth, control erosion andweed s, and m aintain soil organic matter content.Soil comp action can be redu ced and water infiltra-tion, wh ich may leach soil nutrien ts (especiallynitrogen) can be red uced. Thus, cover crops can beused to retain and recycle plant nutrientsespe-cially nitrogenbetween cropping cycles. Covercrops also pr ovid e a habitat for beneficial insects,as well as provide rotations to break plant d iseasecycles.

This prod uction guide is intend ed for organicvegetable growers that rely on alternative fertilizersources and soil imp rovement systems; however,all vegetable growers can implement soil improve-ment p otential from th e use of cover crops.

Cover Crops and VegetablesCover crop s are used in large scale field crop

prod uction systems for similar reasons as vegetableprod uction. However, there are some special situa-tions that vegetable prod ucers face when trying toimplement cover crops into vegetable cropp ing

systems.1. Many vegetable p roducersespecially market

gard enersmay not h ave livestock to utilizethe cover crops for forage or p asture. Thus,valu e of the cover crop for livestock grazingdoes n ot exist as it wou ld in a diversified farm-ing operation.

2. Most vegetable crops have a shorter seasonthan agronom ic crops; thus, m ore p ossibilitiesfor establishing and terminating cover cropsexist, and may be qu ite different.

3. Vegetables are traditionally grown on smalltracts of well drained, fertile, high valued land.Rotations in and among vegetables on smalltracts may b ecome difficult.

4. Because of the smaller sized land areas thatmany m arket gardeners deal with and the com-plexity of vegetable rotations on that small

tract, establishing cover crops may becomedifficult. Traditional tillage and seeding equip-ment may not be suitable for these small areas.

5. Terminating and tilling in cover crops may bemore d ifficult for a small market gard enerw ithou t access to larger scale tillage equ ip-ment. The chopping and tilling capabilitiesof a large tand em d isk, for examp le, may bed ifficult to d up licate w ith sma ll scale, lighterequipment.

Using Cover Crops in Vege table

Production SystemsCover crops can be used in a v ariety of way sw ith vegetab le rotations. The selection of a cropand vegetable rotation m ay vary d epending on thegrow er oper ation, site, availability of irrigation,vegetables involved, and locale. Cover crops can beused in several ways in vegetable operations.


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1. As a main crop used du ring the primary grow-ing season. This may p rovide a full season foroptimu m grow th and nitrogen fixing capacity

of the crop. H owever, used as a rotational crop,it will exclude th e prod uction of a cash veg-etable crop.

2. As a companion crop w here the cover crop isplanted between row s of the vegetable crop. Ineastern states, w here rain fall is greater, thissystem of living m ulch or compan ion croppingis more p ractical. In Kansas, comp etition forwater is greater; thus, irrigation m ay be n eces-sary to imp lement an agg ressive cover cropgrowing n ear a shallow rooted vegetable crop.

3. As a catch crop wh ere the cover crop is planted

before or after the v egetable crop grow ing sea-son to trap and hold nu trients, or to redu ce soilerosion in fields.

4. As an off-season crop wh ere the cover crop isestablished after the grow ing season of thevegetable and is left in p lace du ring the w intermonth s to protect soils and h old nu trients. Thisis, by d efinition, a cover crop u sed to cover th esoil in winter m onths.

In some instances, the use of cover crops maybe planned an d imp lemented as part of a seasonalrotation of crops. How ever, a vegetable prod ucermay also have an op portu nity to establish somecover crops in an opp ortunistic man nerwhen aparticular situation m ay develop in a p articularseason. This may come from a sud den freeze, hail-storm, or loss of market wh ere a planned vegetablecrop is terminated p rematu rely. These situationsoccur more frequently in vegetable operations thanother agronom ic situations. A grower m ay need tobe prep ared to establish a cover crop quicklywh enever the opp ortunity pr esents itself.

Cover Crop Managemen t

The advan tage of the cover crop may d ifferdep ending on the type of cover crop, season, andsite situations. The ability of the cover crop tosignificantly contribu te to soil organ ic mat terincreases, fixation of nitrogen in th e soil, and soiltilth is usually reserved to sequential use of covercrops in long-term u se situations. A short-term

planting and termination of a cover crop m aycontribute little, but may be u seful in h oldingnu trients from leaching, soil from eroding, or

weed s from taking over a field.Grasses (or small grains) used as cover crops

usu ally germinate quickly and cover the groundrapidly. How ever, they do not fix nitrogen fromthe atmosp here to contribute to a total nitrogengain in th e soil; only legu mes h ave this characteris-tic. Legum es are usu ally slower to germ inate andestablish in the au tum n season; but, their subse-quent grow th in the following spring season can besubstantial.

Establish ing Cover Crops. Cover crops requireminimal soil conditions for establishment. A soil

test will indicate any soil problems that p reventad equat e soil fertility for establishing a su fficientcover crop. Due to the p recision placement of seedand a mechanism th at ensures good seed-soil con-tact, using a seed dr ill will usually result in a betterstand an d u se less seed than broadcasting or scat-tering seed ov er the soil surface followed by a lighttillage. An adequ ate plant stand is importan t toensure good biomass (crop volume) and weed sup -pression. A seed dr ill can often be rented from localco-ops, rental equipment supp liers, or gardenequipment dealers.

Terminating and Incorporating the CoverCrop. In add ition to p roper establishm ent, it isalso imp ortant to pay attention to termination andincorporation of the cover crop. Terminating th ecover crop before it blooms usu ally results in easiertermination and incorporation since the organicmaterial begins to decomp ose quickly and easilyresulting in a sh ort d ead tim e before establishingthe next crop. In th is situation, planting a subse-quent crop 2 weeks after termination and incorpo-ration can be accomplished. After the crop beginsto bloom, more biomass is produ ced but plantmaterial may be less succulent and slower to d ete-

riorate. Also, significant w ater u tilization by th ecover crop m ay mak e soil tillage and subsequentcrop establishm ent d ifficult (un less irrigation isavailable). After the crop blooms, allow 3 to 4weeks after termination and incorporation beforeplanting a v egetable crop.


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Mustard or Turnip (Non-Legume)Thesecrops can be used as a cash vegetable crop bu tserve as a trap crop for nu trients when fall seeded

(after crops are harvested for autum n w inter mar-keting). They are cold tolerant and will remaingreen for an extended period in the w inter forlivestock grazing.

SorghumSudangrass (Grass)Sorghum/ sudangrass is a hybrid of sorghum and sudangrassthat has good d rough t tolerance, grows rap idly,and prod uces a huge biomass (crop volume). It hasbeen reported to have a su pp ressing effect on su b-sequent grow th of some weed species such asredroot p igweed, p urslane, and foxtail. It is nor-mally planted 2 weeks after corn p lanting for bestresults or anytime du ring the summ er season.

Spring Oats (Grass)Oats are widely avail-able and can be u sed as a late season crop th at isusu ally grow n 6 to 12 inches tall before w interkilling tem peratu res kill the crop. It makes an ex-cellent winter cover residue that is easily incorpo-rated in the spring.

Winter AnnualsBlack Medi c (Legu me)Black med ic is an

expensive seeded cover crop that establishesquickly but h as fairly good cold tolerance. It need sto be w ell established in the fall to overwinter w ell.

Crimson Clover (Legu me)Crimson clover isusu ally grown as a winter cover but can be used asa sum mer an nu al as well. It has good cold toler-ance and nitrogen fixing capability and is m oder-ately drough t tolerant. It does not grow well insoils with a neu tral or higher pH. Close mowingw ill kill the crop (if do ne before full bloom to p re-vent r eseeding).

Hairy Vetch (Legume)Hairy vetch is one of the best known and w idely used legume wintercovers for vegetable prod uction. It has excellentcold tolerance and is mod erate in its ability to fix

nitrogen and w ithstand dr ough t. It tolerates a wideran ge of soil pH and fertility levels. If left afterblooming, it will reseed for a subsequent crop. Itshould be planted 40 days before the first freeze toensure th at it is well established and able to sur-vive the winter. Other vetches include w ollypod ,common, and purp le types.

Aus trian Win ter Pea (Legu me)This largeseeded legum e is mod erately cold tolerant and hasgood nitrogen fixing capability. It establishes rap-

idly. It is usu ally p lanted in mid- to late Septemberfor overwintering pu rposes.

Annual Ryegrass (Grass)Annu al ryegrass(often called Italian ryegr ass) is fairly drou ght to l-erant and has good cold tolerance. It can provid e agood m eans of trapp ing nutrients wh en establishedin late summ er and is easy to till/ incorporate thefollowing sp ring season.

Winter Wheat or Rye (Grass)Rye is often n otused in m any areas of Kansas wh en rotations in-clud e wh eat as a grain crop; how ever, rye is a tallgrowing grass that overw inters well and can be

established late in the season . It prov ides excellentwinter erosion control. Most wheat varieties aresmaller, shorter p lants but the cold tolerance isgood an d seed is inexpensive and readily available.

Using Cover Crops i nVegetable Rotations

Matching th e characteristics of cover crop s withthe seasons of prod uction of vegetable crops can bea difficult task. Early plant ed vegeta bles such aspota toes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, rad-ishes, beets and carrots need to be p lanted early sothat the har vest period occurs before hot weather.Thus, winter annu als used to imp rove soil organicmatter content or nitrogen fixation usually are notan op tion because of the early planting d ate re-quired. In these crops, a summ er annu al or winterannu al may be considered after the harvest season.

Winter annu als or perennials work best w ithwarm season vegetables such as tomatoes, pepp ers,sweetcorn, cucumbers, melons, squash an d pu mp -kins, or sweet potatoes. Melons and sw eet potatoesare planted late enough that some spring grow th of winter an nu als or perenn ials can occur before till-age is requiredthus, imp roving the organ ic mat-ter and nitrogen content of soils.

Soil improvement the add ition of organicmatter an d nitrogen to imp rove soil fertility andtilthcan best be achieved by u sing a full-seasonlegume in a vegetable rotation. How ever, thismeans on e or more lost income crop year u nless amarket for the h ay (forage) from th e legume crop isavailable. Use of sum mer ann uals or winter ann u-als is a good w ay of maintaining nutrients and


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gradu ally imp roving soil organic matter contentand tilth; however, a slower resp onse is to beexpected. The add ition of sup plemental sources of

organic materials such as compost or m anu reshou ld be investigated as a qu ick fix for immed i-ate organic matter and nu trient imp rovement, fol-lowed by rotations of vegetables with su mm erannuals and/ or winter annuals.

Conversion of Pasture/Croplandto Vege tables

Cover crops are an excellent w ay of making atransition to vegetable produ ction from p asture orcropland . Tilling of pastu res usually requ ires a yearto breakdown sod and ensure that no soil insectproblem s are encountered (this is especially true forwireworm s in root crops such as potatoes or car-rots). Cropland is often unknow n in terms of weedproblem s to be encountered , differential soil areas ina field, or fertility variation in the field. A cover cropwill allow a grower to observe these situations whileadd ing fertility and organ ic matt er to fields. Thisalso eliminat es any h erbicide or chemical carryov erfor growers in transition from conventional toorganic prod uction. A sum mer ann ual crop fol-lowed by a w inter annual crop (or an early seededwinter annu al crop) will allow th e grower toobserve weedy, droughty, or infertile areas in thefield through its entire cropping sequence.

Be especially alert for w eedy h ayfield s. Check the field bord ers for weed p roblems, as these willpr obably be p resent in th e field. Fall tillage is sug-gestedfollowed by a summ er annu al crop thenplanted to a w inter annu al prior to use the follow-ing season.

Cover Crops and Soil ImprovementThe add ition of organic matter and n itrogen to

imp rove soil fertility and tilth can best be achievedby u sing a full season legume in a vegetable rota-tion. However, this can mean one or m ore years of lost crop income, un less the farmer ha s a ma rketfor legum e hay. Ways to minimize this income lossfollow. In some cases, growers may have no choice.Years of continu ous crop prod uction w ith littleattention to organic matter maintenan ce requires aperiod of cover cropp ing to stop the d ecline of soilfertility and tilth. In many cases, however, use of summer ann uals or winter annuals is a good w ay

of maintaining nutrients and grad ually imp rovingsoil organic matter content an d tilth; a slower re-sponse, how ever, is to be expected. The ad dition of

sup plemental sources of organic matter should beinvestigated as a q uick fix for immed iate organicmatter and nu trient imp rovement. These sourcesare compost or ma nu re, followed by rotations of vegetables with summ er annuals and/ or winterannuals.

There are two w ays to get the soil buildingbenefits of legume vegetable rotations w ith mini-mal or n o loss of cash crop reven ue. The first isstrip-cropp ing cover crops, primarily legumes, andvegetables. The second is to interplant vegetablesinto newly established legume seedings or seedcover crops into established vegetable crops. Asmentioned before, interseeding into establishedcrops is risky und er Kansas conditions un less irri-gation is ava ilable.

1. Strip-Cropping : Growers plant strips of legumes or legume/ grass/ grain mixes andstrips of vegetab les across fields. Cover cropstrips are left for 1 to 3 years th en rotat ed ba ck to vegetables. Strip w idths can be ad justed toequipm ent w idth; a 2-row planter set for 3-footrows m eans strip wid ths in mu ltiples of 6 feet.Strips can also be adjusted to accommod atechang es in slope or other field characteristics.Strip-cropp ing is best su ited to fairly rectangu-lar fields larger th an 1 2 acre. The legum e stripsare mowed as needed. This method has advan-tages over w hole field grow ing of both veg-etables and legumes. Traffic and compactionare limited to those strips best suited to hand leitlegu me sod strips. Traffic on vegetablestrips is reduced to tillage and cultivation. Thisis a very low cost and efficient w ay to fix nitro-gen, supp ress weeds and build soil tilth. Theborder effect imp roves yields on som e crops,especially sw eet corn. The legume strips pr o-vide a han dy sou rce of mu lch or compost m ate-rial conveniently located next to th e cash crop.The grower can concentrate manu re, comp ostor fertilizer on cash crop strips op ening u pmore op portu nities for dou ble cropp ing if wa-ter is available. The grower h as more time todo timely cultivation an d harvest. Strips allowcropping of more sloping ground than pru dentun der w hole field cond itions. The legum e


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strips not only hold soil from w ashing but canbe effective windbreaks and hosts for beneficialinsects. Finally, rotations ar e simp lified on ce

the initial planning an d strip establishment isdon e. The grow er has less need to seed w interannual green manu re du ring often narrowweather w indow s. Farmers can also limit in-come loss by planting v egetables into new le-gum e strips (described below in paragrap h 2).

There are disadvantages to this technique otherthan the obviousloss of income. The grower m ustdo d etailed p lanning in advan ce, sometimes oneyear out. He or she must measure and m ark stripsprecisely enough to match his or her equipm ent.Cover crops may h ave to be replanted; lime an dph osphoru s may be needed to get the field in shap efor legum e crops. The sw itchover year m ust bethough t throu gh; otherwise, all strips w ill be baregoing into winter. A phased rotation w ith somestrips being converted each year w ill work b est.

2. Interplanting : In this meth od , the cover croplegume is planted in early spring. Severalweeks after germination, a strip is tilled out;vegetables are p lanted in this tilled strip. Thecover crop betw een the strips is managed justas it would be if the w hole strip w as inlegumes. This method is especially adap ted totransplanted crops such as brassicas or toma-toes. Selecting the righ t cover crop is impor -tant. Considerations are fast grow ing versusslow growing legum es. Fast growing legum eswill provide a lot of mu lch bu t may interfere

with th e cash crop. The d istance between v eg-etable strips is based p rimarily on the mow ingwid th of the growers mower u nless the crop

will be harvested b efore the cover crop startsrapid gr owth . Interplanting is not suited forfrequently hilled crops (potatoes) or crops tra-ditionally planted in n arrow r ows. Thismethod is probably best suited to small fieldsor p lots where th e grow er cannot sacrificemu ch ground for a season-long cover crop bu tstill w ants th e soil building b enefits of alengthy cover crop w ithout the w ork of plant-ing a summer annu al.

Interplanting cover crops between row s of established vegetable crops can be d one in Kansasbut w ith marginal odd s of success. Timing andmoisture levels are critical. The grow er m ust p lantthe cover crop after th e cash crop is well estab-lished bu t before it is tall enough to shade ou t thecover crop, usu ally 3 to 4 weeks after the vegetab lecrop is planted. Clovers usually d ont d o w ell if planted after late April; the large seeded legumessuch as soybeans or cowp eas do better. Theselegumes mu st be planted d eep enough to be inmoisture. Hairy vetch can also be used but it isvery sensitive to shad e. Clovers d o better if plantedfrom late Augu st through m id-September. Theybenefit from the sh ad ing effect of tall cash crops at

this time. Late seeding isn t pr actical if the row s areweed y, as the extra tillage required w ill use up toomu ch moisture. Interplanting cover crops w orksbest with w ide rows.


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COMMENTS ON SPECIFIC COVER CROPSMANAGEMENT GUIDE(In this gu ide, N=nitrogen; P=phosph orus; K=potassium)

Perennial CropsAlfalfa

Characteristics: A deep-rooted legume that can last at least 3 to 4 years. ExcellentN fixer, very drou ght tolerant and tolerates frequent m owing. Doesnot tolerate wet soils or frequent flooding. Can be straight seeded orsown in m ixes usu ally with a g rass such as brome.

A d ap t ed t o: Th r ou g h ou t Ka ns as. So il p H m u st be ab ov e 6. It re qu ir es at lea stmed ium levels of P (40 to 60 PPM) and K.

Sowing Dates : Early April to mid-May and mid-August to la te September.Seed in g Ra tes 15 t o 20 p o u nd s p er acr e s tr aig h t se ed ed . ( 1 2 to 2 pound s per 1000and Methods: square feet), less i f seeded with a grass. Alfalfa does best when dri lled

but can be broadcast and harr owed in on a firm seedbed . Use higherrate for broa dcast. Use alfalfa inoculant.

Management : There a re two k inds of a lfa lfasdormant and nondormant . Thedorm ants, which stop grow ing in mid-autum n, are the most commonin Kansas because they are very winter hard y. The nond ormants growmu ch faster but are much less winter hardy. One nond ormantvariety, Nitro, will overwinter in eastern Kansas. The non-dorm antscan be cut 3 times in th e seeding year, the dorm ants once. Dormantsshould be sown with a nu rse crop su ch as oats to protect youngseedlings. The non dorm ants have lesser need for a n urse crop.Moisture permitting, a cutting of nondormant alfalfa is possible inearly Jun e from an Ap ril sowing. Alfalfa can be mow n or tu rned un derwh en it reaches 12 inches.

Suitab le for Yes, bu t the expense of seed ing alfa lfa and value as a forage cropIn ter crop p in g: m ak e it a poor ch oice.Suitable for Mixes: Usually sown straight but often mixed with a grass such as brome.Suitab le for Alfa lfa is not su i table for small g rowers as it can on ly be incorporated

Small Growers: with heavy equipment such as p lows or ch isels .General Comments Alfalfa, while an excellent forage crop and soil builder, is a poor choiceon Use: as a cov er cr op . It is exp en siv e to establish . It is su ited to str ip

cropping bu t only if the grower h as livestock, a market for hay andhay equ ipment. If grown, N itro is the best choice for market grow ers.

Source / Cos t: Readi ly available from feed deale rs o r wholesa les. Public var ie tiesusually cost $2 per poun d, private varieties can ru n as high as$3 per p oun d. Farmer s occasionally have seed for sale at a cheaperprice. Nitro alfalfa can be pu rchased in less than 50-pound quan titiesfrom Albert Lea Seedhou se (see Seed Sour ces).

Red and White CloverVariety: RedMedium, Mammoth, Alsike. WhiteDutch, New Zealand, Ladino.Characteris tics: Medium red clover is the most common red clover; Mammoth is a

slightly later and coarser red clover tha t is usu ally cheap er; and Alsike

is a small fine stemm ed clover very to lerant of wet locations. Dutchwh ite clover is the common low grow ing wh ite clover foun d inpastures and lawns; New Zealand is a taller more drou ght tolerantwh ite clover; Ladino is a fine-stemmed clover ad apted for wetlocations. All white clovers are shorter th an th e red clovers; the wh itesare long perenn ials wh ile reds last two years unless allowed to reseedthemselves. All are slow growing. Reds are tall enough to cut forhay in Au gust of the seeding year. All grow fast in the second year. Allclover is relatively shallow roo ted w ith fair drou ght toleran ce. Theywill grow o n almost all soils as long as the p H is above 5.8 and P levelsare abov e 35 PPM. They d o w ell on soils too w et for alfalfa.


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Red and White Clover cont.A d ap te d to : Ea st er n Ka ns as in b ot h th e n or th er n an d so u th er n reg io ns of t he st at e.

Clover produ ction is marginal west of Manhattan d ue to low rainfall.Sowing Dates : La te February th rough mid-Apr il. Clovers can be sown mid-August

throug h m id-September although these plantings can fail if moisture isshort. Early sprin g seeding r arely fails as clovers are frost toleran t. Usealfalfa/ clover inoculant.

Se ed in g Ra tes Red clo ver s a re so w n at 8 t o 15 po u nd s p er acr e ( 1 2 to 1 pound per 1000and Methods: square feet) or white clovers at 5 to 10 pounds per acre (seed is s lightly

smaller). Use the higher rates for straight seeding the lower rates forseeding with gr asses. If using oats as a n urse crop, don t plant the oatstoo thick (1 to 2 bushel/ acre). Red and wh ite clover can be mixedtogether. Seed can be dr illed or broad cast and harrow ed.

Management : Clovers grow s lowly in the seed ing year bu t should be 12 to 15 inchestall by mid-August. Red Clovers are good nitrogen fixers, around80 pou nd s per acre the first year and 100 poun ds p er acre the secondyear. Growth is rapid du ring the second year. Mow as needed tocontrol broadleaf weeds especially d uring the seeding year. Alsike andDutch w hite are mod erate nitrogen fixers (50 pound s per acre).New Zealand White can fix as mu ch N as the taller red clovers.

Suitable for Mixes: Clovers mix well with oats. A clover/ oat mix prod uces large amoun tsof mulch or biomass for soil imp rovement. Mow to control oat growth.Annu al ryegrass can be a good companion for clovers.

Su it ab le fo r Red clo ver s a re bes t in co rp o ra ted b y plo w s, ch is els or h ea vySmall Growers: rototillers. White clovers, du e to their lower growth, can be rototilled

with several passes.General Comments: Clovers or clover mixes are well suited as cover crops both in the

rotation or intertilled. Clovers can be maintained for years if a groweris willing to frost seed th em after 2 years. Consid ering seed cost,availability and use of establishmen t, clovers are a good choice as arotation cover crop in eastern Kansas. If straight seeded, how ever,

clovers don t prod uce mu ch mu lch in the first year.Source / Cos t: Red clovers are read i ly available from feed dea le rs . Cos ts vary bu t will

be app roximately $1.60 per pou nd commercially. Farmers often h aveclover seed for sale for $0.80 to $1 per p oun d. Wh ite Dutch cloversare also very available but more expensive. The other white cloversusually have to be special ordered and will cost at least $2 perpou nd . Several feed d ealers in Kansas sell clover mixes, usua llyMedium and Alsike red clovers, which are often economically p riced.

Yellow Blossom Sw eetclover(also used as a w inter annu al)

Variety: Usu ally not stated on seed bags.Characteristics: Yellow blossom sweetclover is a biennial. If planted in the spring, it

grows fairly rapidly, goes dorm ant in autum n and will growaggressively the next spring, flowering in late May. When fall seeded,

it grows slowly, overwinters, and then grow s rapidly and flowerscomp leting its life cycle. Sweetclover is d eep tap rooted anddrou ght tolerant; it can d eplete soil moisture if left too long du ring adr y late spring. It is an excellent N fixer (100 pou nd s per acre) and isadap ted to all soils except w et. Its deep taproot can bring u p m ineralsfrom th e subsoil. It need s a pH of 6 and m od erate levels of P (40 PPM).

Ad apted to: Throughout Kansas.Sowing Dates : La te February ( fros t seed ing) th rough ear ly May and Augus t to ear ly

September. Seed at least 40 days before the av erage d ate for killingfrost. Sweetclover is the on ly clover that can be seeded throu ghou t thesumm er w ith a reasonable chance of establishment.

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Yellow Blossom S we etclover cont.Seed in g Ra tes Seed at 9 t o 15 p ou n d s p er acr e ( 1 2 to 1 pound / 100 square feet). Use

and Methods: the higher rates for straight seeding. Sweetclover can be frost-seeded,drilled or broadcast and harrow ed in. Use alfalfa/ clover inoculant.Management : Sweetclover should be about 10 inches tall by la te May through ear ly

Jun e from a spring seeding. Mow as n eeded to control weeds andgrowth if growth threatens the cash crop after interseeding. Mow high,as sweetclover is intolerant of close mowing. Plow under in lateOctober or early N ovember if planting an early vegetable crop the nextspring. If left to overwinter, plow un der before flowering or at leastbefore seed set. Mature sweetclover is very fibrous and will break dow n slowly. The seed is hard and will survive m any years in the soilbecoming a w eed.

Suitab le for Sweetclover is a good choice for an in tercropping legume especia lly if Intercropping: planted before the vegetable crop. I t will produce plenty of mulch by

mid -Jun e. It is an excellent choice for a one year cover and soilbuilding crop.

Suitable for Mixes: Best choice is oats if heavy biomass prod uction is the goal. Mow tocontrol oat growth. Sweetclover can be sown with th e small grainsin the fall. Oats are th e best choice because they win ter-kill. A wetspring can result in too mu ch grain growth an d incorporationproblems.

Su itable for N o. It req uir es plow in g to in cor por ate.Small Growers:General Comm ents: Sweetclover seed is cheap . The crop is easy to plan t. These factors

alone m ake it an excellent choice for a one year cover especially if intercropped.

Source / Cos t: Seed dea le rs can read ily order sweetclover. Costs a re a round $0.50 to$7.70 per p oun d and will vary yearly. This is by far the cheapestclover.

Summer AnnualsBerseem Clover

Va rie tie s: M ost co mm o n is Big bee, o cca sio na lly M u lt icu t is a va ila ble.Characteristics: Berseem clover is an extremely vigorous, tall growing (up to 24 to

27 inches) white clover. It will be tall enoug h to m ow by late Maythrough early Jun e from a March seeding. It is slow to flower beforethe first cutting but later flowering is rapid especially if moisturestressed. Berseem clover does best under hot, moist conditions. Manycuttings are possible under these conditions. It tolerates wet soils.Und er Kansas cond itions, growers can expect one heavy cutting,followed by a lighter cutting in ear ly July. Regrow th after the secondcutting is usu ally spar se. Once Berseem flowers, its life cycle iscomp lete. If the blossom s are left un distu rbed , Berseem w ill reseeditself. Under ideal conditions the new seeding can grow up to15 inches tall before w inter kill wh ich occur s at 18 F. Berseem h as thesame fertility and pH requirements as red clover. N fixation may be80 to 100 pound s/ A.

Sowing Dates : Early March through mid-Apr il. Berseem can be sown mid-August toearly September bu t success is marginal u nless moisture is adequateor the seedings are shaded.

Seed in g Ra tes P la nt at 15 t o 25 p ou n d s p er acr e ( 1 2 to 2 pou nd s per 1000 square feet).and Methods : Use the h igher ra tes if seed ing a lone. Best d r illed bu t can be harrowed

in. Frost seeding is usu ally not su ccessful. Once established , Berseemcan survive temperatur es to 22 F. Use alfalfa/ clover inoculan t.

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Berseem Clov er cont.Management: Management is influenced by t ime of cutt ing. Berseem makes excellent

hay or h eavy quan tities of mulch. The first cutting shou ld be mad ewh en th e berseem is 7 to 20 inches tall, later cutting s will be difficultbecause it gets tall and can fall over. The second cuttin g shou ld bemad e before heavy flowering, usu ally one m onth after the first cut.Dont mow close. Try to leave 1 to 3 inches of stubble. Any regro wthshou ld be left alone. Either incorp orate if plantin g a fall catch (to trapfixed N ) or let reseed. Berseem leaves a very mellow friable seedbed sospring tillage requirements are m inimal. Transplants can be pu t rightinto the seedbed. Berseem is one of the best weed supp ressors becauseit is so aggressive.

Su it ab le fo r Yes , b eca u se of h ea vy bio m as s p r od u ct io n a nd s lo w er m id -s um m erIntercropping: growth. Make sure that the ti lled in str ips s tay clean. Berseem too close

to vegetables will overwhelm you ng p lants.Suitable for Mixes: Yes, if even heavier biomass is desired. Mix with oats. An oat-berseem

clover mix is an excellent soil bu ilder if left in for a full season.

Sui table for Yes, Berseem works well fo r small g rowers because it is controlled bySmall Growers: mowing . No heavy t illage is needed .General Comments: Berseem's grow th characteristics make it the best choice of the one

season soil builders for sm all grower s, especially if used as p art of anintercropp ed system.

Source / Cos t: Berseem clover is now much more ava ilable than it was severa l yearsago. Feed d ealers can ord er it from th eir wholesale sup pliers. The pr iceis less than r ed clover, usu ally $1.25 to $1.35 per po un d.

LespedezaVar iety: Usu ally not stated . Most com mon ar e Kor ean an nu al lesp ed eza an d

Striate Annual Lespedeza. Marion is a new striate lespedezadev eloped for inten sive grazingit is too expensive to use solely as acover crop.

Characteris tics: The annual lespedezas are cold sensi tive, s low growing and droughttolerant legum es. Lespedezas grow slowly from an early springseeding, starting rapid g rowth in mid-sum mer. The Koreanlesped ezas reach 1 foot in h eight by late Augu st. This slow spr inggrowth means that lespedezas benefit from a compan ion crop such assmall grains or ann ual ryegrass. If allowed to reach full bloom,lesped ezas are moderate nitrogen fixers (40 to 60 poun ds/ acre) buttolerate mor e infertile and acid soils than clovers or alfalfa. Lesped ezaoften volunteers itself in fields when chemical weed control is stoppedor grow ers control broadleaf weeds by m owing. Lespedezas are goodforage and h ay crops but biomass pr odu ction is light.

A d ap te d to : Les pe d ez as th r iv e t hr ou g ho u t ea st er n Ka ns as. Th e Ko rea n st ra in ismore common in the north. The striates do better in the southern par tof the state. If seeding Lesp edeza for th e first time, use Korean as itgrows well throughout.

Sowing Dates: La te February (fros t seeded) th rough la te Apr il.Seeding Rates Seed at 15 to 25 pounds per acre (1 to 2 pounds per 1000 square feet).and Methods : Use h igher rates if seed ing a lone. Lespedezas can be frost seeded ,

drilled or broadcast and harrow ed in. Use lespedeza/ cowpea/ peanu t inoculant.

Management : Lespedezas do be tter if sown with a nurse crop , un less the fie ld i sclean. Mow high initially to control weed s. If no reseeding is d esired,mow in late Augu st. Lesped eza do es not need to be fall tilled to kill itun less a grow er wan ts to establish a w inter annual cover crop.Lespedezas d o respond to P and manu re app lications if the field isvery low in P.

Summer Annuals con't.


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Lespedeza cont.Suitab le for Lespedezas a re a good choice for an in tercropping system since theirIntercropping: slow spring growth causes lit t le competit ion with the ti lled in vege-

table crop. Rapid su mm er growth covers the soil and supp ressesweeds. Lespedeza leaves a friable seedbed for the next crop.Lespedeza sod seems to hold m oisture so it is a good cover crop fordrou ghty soils.

Suitable for Mixes: Oats and annual ryegrass are good companion crops.Su it ab le fo r N o h ea vy eq u ip m en t is ne ed ed t o kill it . It s s lo w ea rly gr ow t h allo wSmall Growers: the grower to harvest early vegetables. The lespedezas rapid summer

growth effectively protects soil and fixes enough N for following cropsneed ing low am oun ts of N. Lesped eza is an excellent choice if thegrower w ants to prep are marginal land for vegetable produ ction. Seedis cheaper than clover.

General Comments: Other legumes are better N fixers than th e lespedezas. Lespedeza,how ever, is an almost no-fail cover crop . If frost seeded with clover, itacts as a safety net if the clovers fail. An oat-Korean lesped eza mix isthe best choice for a on e year cover if conv erting m argina l land tovegetable prod uction or for improving soil that a grower eventuallywan ts to cultivate. A lesped eza-grass mix is also ideal for coveringcorroded d itches and waterw ays after their repair. Lespedezas, oncecalled th e Poor M ans Alfalfa, can a lso pro vide excellent forage forall classes of livestock.

Source / Cos t: Feed deale rs can read i ly specia l o rder lespedezas from theirwh olesalers. Lespedeza seed is common ly sold as un hu lled or hu lled.The unh ulled is cheaper and is quite suitable for early spring seeding.Prices vary from year to year bu t the average cost is $0.80 per pou nd .

SoybeanVa riety : M an y av aila ble. Pu blic var ieties (d ev elo ped b y la nd -g ra nt co lleg es) ar e

cheaper than private varieties. Any locally adap ted v ariety for grainharv est will be satisfactory as a cover crop .

Characteris tics: Soybeans are upright bushy legumes. They must be planted in warmsoil. Strong N fixers, they will grow on most soils but p refer fertiledeep loams. They are m oderately drou ght tolerant. Inoculate withsoybean inoculant. Soybeans are gr oup ed by m aturity. Later varietiesgenerally are taller. Planting a fter late Jun e usu ally results in shorterplants bu t still has acceptable grow th. Soybeans p refer a neutral p Hbut t olerate acid soil.

A dap ted t o: So yb ean s do w ell th ro ug hou t ea ster n an d cen tr al Kan sa s.Sowing Dates : From mid-May through late Ju ly. Sowings in ear ly August can make

acceptable growth with m oisture if September stays w arm.Seeding Rates For green manure, sow soybeans a t 50 to 100 pounds per acre (2 toand Methods : 3 pounds per 1000 square feet ). Soybeans can be p lan ted thicker bu t no

more than 200 poun ds p er acre. Drill soybeans or broadcast and d isk/ harrow in. Planting in rows d efeats the purp ose of growing soybeansas a cover crop.

Management : The keys to get ting the best ou t o f soybeans are timing of p lan ting andweed control. While soybeans can be planted in May, they w ill havepassed th eir prime value as a g reen man ure by late September. This isfine if the grower intend s to incorporate in late summer, otherw iseplant from mid -Jun e throu gh late July. If the field is new or w eedy, plant afast growing sm other crop like bu ckwheat first. Plant soybeans thick.Their fast growth will smother weeds if weeds were controlled beforesoybean p lanting. The longer soybeans ar e left alone before podformation, the more biomass is produ ced. Let soybeans grow at least80 to 100 days. Soybeans can be p lowed or disked bu t can also bemow ed, leave the residue on the surface.



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Soybe an cont.Sui table for Yes, bu t mus t be p lan ted after ear ly crops a re estab lished; the cloversIntercropping: are better choices especial ly for vining crops. Soybeans, however, are

fairly shade tolerant and are one of a few cover crops that w ill growun der sw eet corn if planted before corn is 2 feet tall.

Suitable for Mixes: In general, no. It can be mixed w ith rape which has similar growthhabits. If mixed with bu ckwheat, the buckwheat w ill mature and setseed before soybeans are read y for plowing.

Sui table for Soybeans a re an exce llent cover crop for small g rowers especia lly if Small Growers: planted after harvest of early vegetables. Mowed soybean residue

leaves a v ery friable seedbed for the next spr ing.General Comments: The soybean nitrogen fixing ability, rapid grow th, cheap seed cost and

wid espread availability ma ke it an excellent cover crop choice forfollowing early vegetables.

Source / Cos t: Wide ly available . Public varie ties usually cost $11 to $13 per50-pound bag.

Cowpea Va riety : M an y v ar ieties a re a vaila ble. Red Rip p er gr ow s fa st an d is fair ly slowto vine.

Characteris tics: Cowpeas must be planted in warm soil . They are drought tolerant anddo better in poor and acid soil than soybeans. They fix high am ounts of nitrogen (130 pou nd s per acre) and p rodu ce large amou nts of biomass.Inoculate with cowp ea/ lesped eza/ peanu t inoculant. All cowpeavarieties tend to vine as they m atur e. Viney cowp eas are very difficultto mow or incorporate. Cowp eas do not tolerate frost.

A d ap te d to : C ow p ea s t hr iv e t hr ou g ho u t ea st er n an d cen tr al Ka ns as . In g en er al,they outgrow soybeans in southern and south-central Kansasespecially in drou ghty, p oor soils.

Sowing Dates : Anyt ime be tween mid-May and la te Augus t. Cowpeas are no t day ligh tsensitive. Late plantin gs grow just as tall as early planting s. Coolerdays after late September slow grow th considerably.

Seeding Rates Seed at 50 to 100 pounds per acre( 2 to 3 pounds per square feet). Dril l,a nd M et hod s: p la nt in n ar ro w ro ws or br oa dca st an d d isk in .Management : Sow cowpeas th ick to get maximum ground cover qu ick ly. If the fie ld

is very weedy, plant a qu ick smother crop su ch as buckwheat. Cow-peas are w ell adap ted to sow ing after harvest of early vegetables. As arule of thumb, allow 60 days of growth before mowing or tu rningun der. Although Red Ripper is relatively slow to vine, all cowp eas willvine eventually. Vined cowpeas clog mowers and all tillageimplements. If planted late enough, mow cowpeas and leave theresidue of the su rface for a friable seedbed next spring.

Sui table for Margina l a t bes t s ince it needs warm soil. It is one of the few coverIntercropping: crops that can be planted between sweet corn rows. Plant before corn

is 2 feet tall and if the field is at least fairly free of weeds.Suitable for Mixes: No. Unless planted with a crop such as rape, that has the same growth

habits, cowp eas dont recover from early mow ing.Sui table for Yes, especia lly for soil bu ild ing on poor ground and a fter early or mid-Small Growers: summer harvested crops. Cowpeas lack of frost tolerance and fast

growth make it a good choice where it cant be turned un der.General Comments: Cowp ea's adaptability helps it fill a niche in the su mm er annu al cover

crop family. Growers must balance its excellent performance with thedifficulty of finding it in n orth east Kansas.



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Annual White SweetcloverVar iety: M ost com mon variety is H u bam a v ar iety dev elop ed by Iow a State

University in th e 1940s. Ann ual w hite clover is hard to find. Mostsweetclovers are biennial so make su re you are getting an nualsweetclover.

Characteris tics: Annual white has the same soil requirements as yel low blossomsweetclover, a pH of 6 and m edium levels of P and K. It also requiresalfalfa/ clover inoculant. It tolerates wetter soil and is rep uted togrow more rap idly in the seeding year. It winterkills at 18 to20 F. It is deep tap rooted and a strong N fixer.

A da pted t o: Ea st er n Ka nsa s, p ar ticu la rly ea st of M an ha tta n.Sowing Rates Seed 15 to 30 pounds per acre (1 to 2) pounds per square foot . Dr ill oran d Meth od s: broad cast an d h arrow in .Sowing Dates: Seed March through mid- to late April . Annual Sweetclover can also

be planted m id-August to early September.Management : Annual Sweetclover genera lly grows rap id ly. If allowed to grow to

full matur ity it will become w ood y, coarse and difficult to incorpo rate.Mow as needed to control growth . Under Kansas cond itions, annualwh ite appears to hav e only fair droug ht tolerance, but experience inKansas is limited.

Sui table for Probably, if p lan ted so tha t ear ly vege tables a re harves ted before itIntercropping: starts rapid growth. Presently the expense of the seed limits i ts

usefulness.Suitable for Mixes: Oats are recommended as a nurse crop; mow to control oat growth.Su it ab le fo r A nn u al s w ee tclo ve r s ho u ld w o rk fo r s ma ll g ro w er s d u e t o it s r ap idSmall Growers: warm season growth, propensi ty to winterkil l and i ts abi li ty to make

good grow th from a late summer seeding.General Comments: There is little grower experience with this cover crop in Kansas.

Reports from Pennsylvania ind icate that H ubam Sweetclover p lantedin May, grew to 6 feet in July. Whether th is is likely or even p ossible in

Kansas is un know n. One years experience suggests that ann ualsweetclover grows about the same as yellow blossom sweetclover.Consid ering the cost and d ifficulty find ing seed, small scaleexperimentation is ad vised.

Source / Cos t: Annual sweetclover mus t be mail o rdered . Seed is expens ive,averag ing $2.20 to $2.50 per p oun d.

OatsVa riety : M an y d iffer en t v ar ieties a re a vaila ble. Feed oa ts a re th e m ost

available oats year round but are n ot sold by v ariety. Seed oats aresold by feed dealers in the spring for grain harvest and are sold byvariety su ch as Don. Feed oats are acceptable for cover crop use.

Characteristics: Oats are a fast growing, frost tolerant, tall (up to 3 feet) small grain.Oats have a fibrous an d extensive root system that hold s soil. Oatsprod uce good biomass. They tolerate low pH and wet soils and w illgrow adequ ately on most Kansas soils. If allowed to matu re, oats willreseed themselves; the new oat seedings will winterkill. Oats respondto manu re applications and will sup press early weed grow th.

Ad apted to: All of eastern Kansas.Sowing Dates : La te February th rough mid-Apr il with March be ing the ideal p lan ting

month . Oats can also be seeded from early Augu st through mid-September. The earlier sum mer seed ings generally mak e the best fallgrowth.



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Oats, con t.Seedings Rates If used as a nurse crop for clovers and other legumes, seed oats at 1 toand Methods : 2 bushels (bags) per acre. If seed ing a lone, use up to 4 bushels / acre.

Fall seeding s shou ld be at least 2 bushels per acre, more is better. Drillor broadcast and disk or harr ow in. For small plots, seed at 2 to4 poun ds p er 1000 square feet.

Management : Oats need lit tle care . Management depends on crop in ten t . For amu lch, oats shou ld be mow ed w hen m ulch is needed. In crop mixes,dont seed the oats too thick. If there is any dou bt, mow the oats. Oatstraw, especially when a legume is grown with it, is a soil builder inits own righ t. The straw decom poses rap idly, the effect is much likeleaf mu lch in a forest. Oats are an efficient trap crop . A late sum meroat seeding w ill trap nu trients from m anu re app lications. Sum mer oatplantings can also provid e good gr azing and erosion control in winter.Finally, oats are a good nur se crop for winter ann ual legumes. Thewinterkilled oats p rotect the legume from frost heaving and don tinterfere with spring incorporation.

Suitable forIn tercropping: Yes, if sown with clovers, lespedeza or f ie ld peas.Suitable for Mixes: Probably the best nurse crop for legum es. It can also be mixed w ith

brassicas for fall grazing or grou nd cover and for trapping m anur enutrients.

Suitable forSmall Growers: Yes, as a mulch source for summer crops and a fall trap crop.General Comments: Oats are very versatile, readily available and cheap. Their greatest

value to vegetable growers is biomass produ ction, weed su pp ressionand erosion control. An oat/ clover combination is hard to beat as a fullseason soil builder either strip planted or intercropp ed.

Source / Cos t: Oats, especia lly feed oa ts , a re available year round f rom feed deale rsor farmer s. Comm ercial cost will vary b ut w ill average $5 to$6 a bag.

BuckwheatVa riety : M an y a vaila ble. M ost b uck wh eat so ld is la beled as v ar iety not st ated .Characteris tics: Buckwheat grows rapidly in warm conditions. I t matures in about

40 to 50 da ys. It do es not fix nitrogen. It grows on most soils but d oesbest on fertile, light soils. It is not d rou ght toleran t and , thus, can limitits use in Kansas. Normally, its fast growth enables it to smotherweeds. Fast growth means th at several plantings can be mad e insequence. Once mowed , buckwheat decomposes rapidly d ue to itshollow stem . Buckw heat creates a very friable soil. It has p oor frosttolerance but reseeds itself readily if the flowers mature to seed.

A d ap t ed t o: A ll of ea st er n Ka ns as. Bu ck w h ea t m ay t hr iv e in cen tr al Ka ns as if planted early.

So w in g D at es: La te A p ril t o e ar ly Sep te mb er.Sowing Rates Seed 30 to 60 pounds per acre (1 to 2 pounds per 1000 square feet ). Use

and Methods : h igher ra tes on poorer ground. Dr ill o r b roadcast and har row orshallowly till in.Management : The key to us ing buckwheat is to mow before the flowers se t seed if

you intend to follow w ith another crop. This includes reseeding bu ck-wheat. Conversely, buckwheat can be allowed to reseed itself allthrough the grow ing season. The last crop, however, must be killedbefore it sets seed since they w ill spr out n ext spring. Buckw heat can bedisked under. If mowed and left on the surface, little tillage will beneeded to plant the next crop. This will save soil moisture. Buckwheatresidu e is a good winter cover if planted th ick enoug h and early fallgrowth is satisfactory.



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Buckwheat, cont.Sui table for Buckwheat is p lan ted too la te to use as an estab lished cover crop forIntercropping: str ip t i lling in vegetables. I t can be planted after vegetables are

established but management will be difficult since it grows so fast.Suitable for Mixes: In general no. Since it must be mowed an d m ost late-planted legumes,

such as soybeans, d ont tolerate mow ing. It can b e reseeded w ithsoybeans and , even better, vetch, and allowed to reseed itself. When th elegume is incorporated or mow ed, the buckwh eat will die out u nless itsets seed just before incorporation. Spring-sprouted buckwh eat isannoying but easily cultivated out.

Sui table for Yes. Refer to comments above. Buckwheat is an exce llent fo llow onSmall Growers: cover crop after harvest of early vegetables, especially if the grower

wan ts to clean up a weedy p lot.General Comm ents: Buckwh eat has two primary uses. Use it as a smother crop before

sowing a summ er-long season legum e such as soybean. This isespecially ad visable wh en converting w eedy p asture to v egetableprod uction. The second u se is as a smother crop before planting small-seeded vegetables or tran splant s for fall harvest. This is especially tru eof vegetables that are not heavy N feeders.

Source / Cos t: Buckwheat can be specia l o rdered by feed dea le rs . Somet imes, fa rmershave buckwheat seed for sale. Prices vary year to year. The average is$0.25 to 0.40 per pound. Buckwheat seed loses germination rapidly.Dont plant seed that is more th an 2 years old.

Japanese MilletVariety: N o nam ed varieties.Characteris tics: Japanese mil let is a fast growing summer annual grass. I t must be

planted in warm soil. It has limited frost tolerance and will winterkill.Its fast growth and fibrous root system make it an excellent smothercrop, erosion protector and trap crop. It needs nitrogen for rap idgrowth so should be man ured or fertilized h eavily. It toleratesfrequent cuttings and makes excellent forage or h ay. Japanese

millet is fairly dr oug ht tolerant on ce established an d is very tolerant of wet soil.A d ap te d to : Ea st er n Ka ns as. It m ay d o w ell in C en tr al Ka ns as on m ois t a re as .Sowing Dates: Late May through July. I t can be planted in August to the f irs t week of

September. Und er good conditions, it will grow 6 to 12 inches, if moistu re is available.

So win g Ra tes Seed 25 to 30 p ou n d s p er acr e (1 to 1 1 2 pou nd s per 1000 square feet).a nd M et hod s: D rill o r b roa dca st an d till sh allo w.M an ag em en t: W hen in ten d ed t o u se as a su m m er lo ng t ra p cr op , pr op er m o w in g is

important. Mow before it heads with abou t 3 inches of stubble.Two to 4 feet of grow th can be expected w ith 60 days to first cuttin gand 40 days to subsequent cuttings. Residue p rodu ction is high if leftun cut in September.

Su it ab le fo r In g en er al, n o, b eca u se it d oe sn t m ix w ell w it h su m m er le gu m es an d

Intercropping: may well smother clovers and vetch if seeded with them. Too fastgrowing to plant into vegetables.Suitable for Mixes: No; unless the grower is prep ared to sacrifice a summ er annual by

mow ing it with the m illet. It can be m ixed w ith rape for greaterbiomass p rod uction bu t there is little benefit from th is if the milletgrows w ell.

Su i table for Yes. If the grower wants a fu ll-season smother crop a fter harves t o f Small Growers: early vegetables. The soi l must be ferti le enough to support multiple

cuttings.



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Japanese Mill et, cont.General Comments: Japanese millet is most useful as a long season cover and smother crop

wh en the grower h as access to plentiful manu re and n eeds the foragefor feed or mu lch. It is a good choice for cleaning u p w eedy fields orconverting cropland to vegetable produ ction.

Source / Cos t: Feed dea le rs can order Japanese mille t from the wholesa le suppl ie rs .Costs vary year to year bu t will average $0.40 per p ound .

SorghumSudangrassVariety: Many varieties available.Characteris tics: Sorghumsudangrass is a fast growing, drought tolerant annual grass.

Left uncut it can grow over 6 feet tall. It is a good N trap crop and avery good sm other crop. It needs warm soil to germinate and ad equatemoisture to gr ow to its full potential. The plant w ill, however, survivedrou ght w ell. It is not frost tolerant. It will grow on most soils butrespon ds best to fertile soils.

Ad ap ted to: Ad apted to all of Kansas.

Sow in g Dates: May th rou gh Ju ly.Sowing Dates Seed a t 15 to 40 pounds per acre. Higher rates on be tter g round. Dr illan d Meth od s: or broad cast an d harrow in .Management : Correct mowing is key to managing sorghum-sudan . It will p roduce

tremendou s amou nts of biomass even if mowed . If left alone it willbecome u nman ageable. It ties up considerable nitrogen and mu st beallowed to decompose a month or more before planting another crop.

Suitable forIn tercropping: No. Due to it s la te p lan ting da te and rap id growth .Suitable for Mixes: Livestock prod ucers can mix it with soybeans for silage but it is not

suited for m ixes as a cover crop .Suitable for While it will winterkill, it is too rank in growth habit for small growers.Small Growers: Even f ield crop farmers need heavy duty mowers to cut sorghum-

sud an for hay or silage.

General Comments: There are better choices for a full season cover than sorghu m-sud an.Growers w ith cattle, access to manu re and wh o plant it for forage canuse it as a cover crop. It needs plentiful m anu re to reach its fullpotential as a cover crop.

Source / Cos t: Readi ly available . Should cos t be tween $0.30 to $0.40 per pound.Forage Brassicas (Cabbage family crops)

Variety: Th e m ost com mon varieties ar e tu rn ip , r ap e (Dw ar f Essex Rap e, inparticular) and kale. Both hybrid and open p ollinated turn ips areavailable. Use a readily available cheap var iety such as Pur ple Top if the sole purp ose is green man ure. Hybrid rapes and kales are availablebut their high p rice makes them u neconomical for green m anur e. Amu stard/ Chinese cabbage crossTyfonis usu ally grow n for freshgreens or forage but has some value as a cover crop.

Characteristics: Forage brassicas are fast growing, drought tolerant, once established,

and efficient prod ucers of biomass. They d o not fix nitrogen bu t w illtrap it and other soil nutrients. They persist into early winter w ith kalebeing the most h ardy. They eventually winterkill. Rape has a longtapr oot so it can loosen heav y soils. They gr ow best in fertile soilsor w hen manu red. They are tolerant of fairly acid soils.

Ad ap ted to: All of eastern Kansas.Sowing Dates: Plant after late March or early Apri l. They can be sown throughout the

summ er but are usually seeded in Au gust throu gh early September forlate fall grazing. They grow fine in cool weath er.



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Forage Brassicas (Cabbage family crops), cont.Se ed in g Ra tes So w tu r nip s th in ly, 5 t o 7 p o u nd s p er acr e o r 1 4 pou nd p er 1000 squarea nd M et ho d s: feet . So w ra p e o r k ale at 8 t o 15 p o u nd s p er acr e ( 1 3 pound/ 1000

square feet). They can be d rilled or broadcast with light incorporation.In some situations, incorporation m ay n ot be necessary.

Management : Dont p lan t forage brassicas when vege table brassicas will be grownthe same season. Forage brassicas tolerate mowing an d grazing. Whilethe brassicas will grow on low fertility soil, they d o best un der fertileconditions. They can prov ide significant grou nd cover after w interkilling.

Sui table for Best su ited for p lan ting after an ear ly vegetab le . They can , however, beIntercropping: dri lled into sweet corn or spread after the last cul tivat ion.Suitable for Mixes: Best suited for mixes with summ er legum es, such as soybeans, sown as

part of a season long cover crop (pea, oat, vetch or vetch/ buckwh eat)or w ith oats for fall pasture.

Su it ab le fo r W hile th eir gr ow t h h ab it s d o nt re qu ir e h ea vy eq u ip m en t to m an ag e,Small Growers: their value to small growers is limited u nless livestock forage is

needed.General Comments: Forage brassicas were d eveloped for intensive grazing. Only Dwarf

Essex rape an d turnips are easily available and cheap. Use foragebrassicas if late pastur e is a p rimary requ irement.

Source / Cos t: Feed dea le rs can order Dwarf Essex rape . Occasionally it is so ld asbirdfeed. Purple top turn ips are available anyw here. Rape costs about$0.50 to $0.60 per pou nd , turn ips betw een $1.00 to $1.50 per pou nd .

Oilseed Radish and Agricultural MustardVar iety: N o sep ar ate v ar ieties of th ese tw o cr op s ar e av ailable yet.Characteris tics: Both these plants are fast growing trap crops. Oilseed radish grows

rap idly. It can reach 3 feet after 6 weeks. It has a deep tap root, breaksup heavy soils and is reported to have some nematocidal effect. Itwin terkills at 20 F. Agricultu ral mu stard to lerates low fertilitysoils but oilseed r ad ish does n ot. Both are excellent trap crops,preventing nu trient leaching and providing cover over winter.Neither fix nitrogen.

A d ap te d to : Th ese ar e n ew cr op s fo r Ka ns as bu t th ey h av e b een g ro w n su cces sfu llyin eastern Kansas.

Sowing Dates : Agricu ltural mustard can be seeded in ear ly spr ing (up to mid-Apr il)and in Augu st through early October. While oilseed rad ish can besown in April or May, it is norm ally seeded in late Augu st through lateSeptember (refer to comm ents section).

Seeding Dates Seed Oi lseed rad ish a t 15 to 25 pounds per acre (2 pounds per 1000and Methods: square feet ). Seed mus ta rd at 15 to 20 pounds per acre (1 pound per

1000 square feet). Both can be drilled or broad cast and harrow ed in.Mustard can be broadcast withou t incorporation. Oilseed rad ish seedis larger and mu st be covered.



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Oilseed Radish and Agricultural Mustard, cont.Management : Oil seed Rad ish needs specia l a tt en t ion. It g rows bes t on g round tha t has

been heavily manu red in m id-summer or after a legume crop (such asBerseem Clover) has been killed. Plant between late Augu st (afterAugust 20) through m id-September. Under good fertility and moistureconditions, the rad ish will grow to 3 feet and flower. The resultingwinterkilled residue may be heavy enough to interfere with sm all seedvegetable plant ing in the sp ring. The roots can be quite large. Laterplantin gs, to early October, will prod uce 6 to 8 inches of top growth .Spring p lantings can also grow rap idly. On poor soils, oilseed rad ishwill make limited growth . Mow as needed to control growth. Mustard ismu ch easier to mana ge. Spring g rowth will be rapid . Expect 2 to 3 feetof growth and flowering in 6 weeks. There is little growth after mow ingflowering plants. In the fall, growth depends on the weather. Severalinches of growt h can be expected, most of it early. Mustard shouldwinterk ill with below 10 F temperatures.

Suitable forIntercropping: No, unless sown just before early vegetables reach maturi ty.Suitable for Mixes: Oilseed radish is probably not suited to mixing with grasses. Mustard

mixes with legumes an d grasses, especially wh en fall sown.Su it ab le fo r Bo th co u ld b e o f u se to sm a ll g ro w er s. Th e m u st ar d se em s to h av e t heSmall Growers: most promise as a soil builder on heavy soils. Cheaper, more available

cover crops m ake oilseed rad ish less useful as a trap crop.General Comments: Very little work with th ese crops h as been d one in Kansas. Oilseed

radish n eeds special conditions for maximum performance. Mustardseems more u seful for m ore situations. Experiment w ith small trialplots before planting on a larger scale.

Source / Cos t: Mail order sources a re usually required . Check wi th loca l deale rs fir st .

Wi nter AnnualsHairy Vetch

Va rieties: M an y a re a vaila ble. U su ally so ld as v ar iety n ot sta ted .Characteristics: Hairy vetch is a versatile, strong nitrogen fixing (100 pound s per

acre), cold tolerant legu me. It will surv ive Kansas winter s. Growth isaffected by time of planting and subsequent w eather. If sown in latesum mer or early fall, vetch will grow several inches before goingdor man t. Up to 8- to 10-inch gr owth is possible if the fall is mild an dvetch is p lanted in Au gust. Vetch is su sceptible to damage from frostheaving un less planted w ith a small grain n urse crop. Once theweather w arms up in the spring, hairy vetch makes rap id, almostexplosive growth. Cool weather in March will delay rapid grow thun til Ap ril. Dense, viney grow th w ill easily form a su rface mat.Grow th can r each 5 to 6 feet if stretched ou t. After flower ing, vetchgrowth slows and th e plant dies. If spring sown, vetch grows slowerbut steady. Growth is also viney and it wilts in midsum mer. Mowingretard s flow ering. Vetch can also be planted in June; grow th is slow in

the summ er heat but rapid grow th resumes wh en the weather cools inSeptember. Hairy vetch needs a p H of 6 to 7 for best growth andrespon ds to p hosp horu s if the soil is low in P. It tolerates most soilsbut prefers good drainage. It wont survive flooding. It is fairlydrought tolerant once established. It is intolerant of shade especially if the shading crop is tall and fast growing. Use pea/ vetch inoculant.

A d ap t ed t o: A ll of ea st er n Ka ns as an d m o st of ce nt ra l a nd s ou th er n Ka ns as. Wes tof Salina vetch p lanting sh ould be on m oist areas only. If winter w heatwill grow, fall-sown vetch will, too, but earlier spring incorporation isnecessary to redu ce moisture d epletion in d rier regions.



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Hairy Ve tch, cont.Sowing Dates: For overwintering, plant between mid-August to late September in north-

east Kansas. Farth er south , mid-October plantin gs will likely survivewinter cold. As a rule of thum b, vetch shou ld be planted 3 to 4 weeksbefore a killing or hard freeze. In the spring, p lant vetch from Marchthroug h m id-April and again in Jun e (Jun e plantings are susceptible todrou ght). Fall and spring p lantings shou ld includ e a small grain as anu rse crop.

Sowing Rates Seed ha iry ve tch a t 25 to 50 pounds per acre (1 to 2 pounds per 1000and Methods : square feet ). Sow wi th a nurse crop of small g ra ins . Seeding ra tes can

be adjusted to m eet specific grow er requ irements (mor e N fixing, etc).A ru le of thum b is a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of vetch to small grain (by v olum e).Vetch is best drilled bu t it can be broad cast and d rilled or harrow ed in.The seed is large so light disking could w ork.

Management : A grower mus t decide which small grain to use in fa ll seed ings. Oatswill winterkill but w ill provide enou gh r esidu e to protect the vetchfrom frost heaving. Winter w heat, fall barley (where ad apted) and rye

will survive the winter and provid e a scaffold to sup port v etchs vineygrowth . On the other hand , a wet spring can result in d elayedincorporation. Small grains may h ave matured enough to hinderbreakdow n of the cover crop w hen it is finally turn ed u nd er. If possible, mow the small grain/ vetch m ix if it cant be incorporateddu e to wet cond itions. When to tu rn u nd er is a second critical decision.A gener al rule is to incorpo rate vetch an y time after Ap ril 15 if it is tobe followed by a May-planted cash crop. Maximum N fixation w ill nothave occurred but May wind ows for tillage may be few. Also, in a d ryspring, rapidly growing v etch may use too mu ch soil moisture and ,thus, hind er germination of the following cash crop. Maximum Nprod uction is good but not critical if the grow er has a systematic soilbuilding and fertility program in place.Vetch is probably best plowed u nless the grower h as heavy or hyd rau-lic tandem disks and chisel plows. Multiple passes are required if

using a stand ard light d isk. Unm own vetch w ill clog rototillers.Spring-sown vetch m ixes are easier to man age; mow as needed tocontrol growth an d incorporate in late sum mer or fall. The d ead vetchcan be left alone un til the next spr ing. Jun e-seeded vetch can be diskedin the fall. This will weaken the stand enou gh to allow easy incorpor ationthe next spring.

Sui table for Yes, bu t aga in d ifficu lt to manage . If seeded before vege tables, theIn tercropping: t illed ou t st rip mus t be thoroughly worked to ensure vetch k ill.

Frequent mowings may be needed to keep vetch from overwh elmingthe cash crop. Interseeding into established vegetables can work if don e at the right time, here the p roblem is keeping the vetch alive. Usewid e rows esp ecially if interseedin g in a vine crop . Vetch toleratessome shading from low growing crops but wont survive und er grow-ing sweet corn. Wait until the corn stalks are dr ying. The corn p rovidesenough shade to keep the row s moist and cool but not enough to block

out too mu ch light.Suitable for Mixes: Yes, du e to its tolerance to mow ing. Other than small grains, use buck-

wh eat, field peas or r ape. It can also be mixed w ith Austrian WinterPeas where adapted.

Winter Annuals con't.


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Hairy Vetch, con t.Suitab le for In general, no . While it can be mowed unt il it eventually d ies, o therSmall Growers: cover crops are easier to manage. There has been interest in using

hairy vetch as a living mu lch du e to trials in the USDA farm inBeltsville, MD. Hairy vetch w as plant ed in th e fall and flail mow ed inthe spring. The mow ed residue was piled into rows and tom atoes weretransp lanted int o these piles. Reported results wer e excellent. This hasbeen tried in Kansas in 1995. Unfortu nately, this was a wet spr ing.The mulch held in moisture wh ich delayed plant grow th and fru itmatur ity. Foxtail overwh elmed the trial plot in late summ er. The maindifficulty, how ever, was th e extreme difficulty in cuttin g the vetch lowenough to ensure it would d ie. Some vetch regrew in the rowsalthough this d id not really affect tomato grow th. This method has notbeen proven to work in Kansas. Growers shou ld try a trial small plotonly before converting to this system.

General Comm ents: Hairy vetch is a versatile cover crop with year roun d u sefulness.Growers mu st deal with its rather exacting managem ent requirementsfor best results.

Sources/ Costs: Hairy vetch is readily available from feed d ealers i f special ordered.Occasionally, farmers h ave vetch seed for sale. Commer cial pr ices canvary year to year bu t average $0.85 per pou nd .

Other VetchesVarieties: Lana Woolypod , Purp le and Common.Characteris tics: Other vetches are less winter hardy than hairy. Lana woolypod

wint erkills at 10 F as does pu rple vetch. Common vetch willsurvive dow n to 15 F. Lana and p urp le vetches tend to growmore vigorously than hairy vetch, common v etch is about the same.All require pea/ vetch inoculant. Nurse crops not needed for fallplantings.

Ad ap ted to: Same as hairy vetch.Sow in g Dates: Sam e as h air y v etch .

Sowing Ratesand Method s: Sam e as h airy vetchManagement : Simila r to ha iry vetch bu t no t as exact ing . Lana will g row v igorous ly

into the w inter before w inter killing in Janu ary. It acts like a very coldtolerant sum mer ann ual leaving a d ead mu lch for spring crops,especially early transplants. If spring planted, treat like hairy vetch.

Suitab le for Yes, if the grower can control fast g rowth . Current ly, the seed isIntercropping: expensive so other cover crops may be more suitable for the present .Suitable for Mixes: Same as Hairy Vetch bu t pick cold intolerant small grains if fall

seeded.Su it ab le fo r La na w oo ly p od h as b een g ro w n in Ka nsa s a s a w in te r k ille d co ve rSmall Growers: crop before spring cabbage. Its rapid fal l growth and good N fixat ion

make it a good substitute for hairy vetch d oing the same job forgrowers without heavy equipment.

General Comments: These vetches have seen little use in Kansas because of their cost andlack of local sour ces. They are p otentially usefu l especially for sm allgrowers.

Source / Cos t: These vetches must be mail o rdered . Cos t varies year to year bu taverages $1.10 per p oun d.



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Aus trian Winter PeaVa riet ies : Se pa ra te v ar iet ie s e xis t b u t m o st ly so ld a s v ar ie ty no t s ta ted . W hen

pu rchasing w inter peas commercially make su re that you are notbuying Canadian field peas ( Trapper Peas) wh ich h ave a d ifferentgrowth habit.

Characteris tics: Austr ian f ield peas are good ni trogen fixers (70 to 100 pounds peracre) with good cold tolerance (see below). They do w ell in heavier soilbu t grow in m ost soils. They tolerate somew hat acid soil. Use pea/ vetch inoculant. Once the w eather warm s up in early spring, peagrowth is rapid. Winter peas w ill matur e before hairy vetch.Maximum N fixation occurs w hen flowering. Austrian winter peas arenot tolerant of spring cold p eriods. Do not plant these in the spring asthey need a d ormant p eriod for full growth. Spring-planted p eas willonly grow a few inches before flowering.

A d ap te d to : Ka nsa s is th e n or th er n pa rt of t he w in te r p ea s r an ge . A w eek of 18 F or less with no snow cover will degrad e or kill the standoutright (based on research in Penn sylvania). Winter peas always do

better with a n urse crop to provid e some frost protection. In general,winter peas hav e a 50/ 50 chance of surviving north of I-70. Odd s arebetter south of I-70. Winter peas are w ell adap ted in sou theast andsouth central Kansas where they are a common cover crop for rowcrop farmers. Winter peas do well along the Kansas/ Oklahoma bord eras far west as W ichita.

Sowing Dates : La te Augus t th rough late September. In ext reme southern Kansas,October seeding s are possible. As a rule of thum b, allow 30 to 40 da ysbetween planting and the average first hard freeze.

Sowing Rates Aust rian win ter peas a re la rge seeded so seed ing rates are high70 toand Methods: 120 pounds per acre. When seeding with a small g rain , rates can be

adjusted to favor the peas or the sm all grains based on th e growersneeds or local conditions. Winter peas are best d rilled bu t can bebroadcast and disked in. For small growers, sow at 2 to 4 poun ds p er1000 squ are feet.

Management : Seeding dur ing the op timum window is impor tan t. Seed with a smallgrain, either oats (wh ich will winterkill but still pr otect the peas) or awinter h ardy grain. As extra insurance against winterkill, vetch can beadd ed to the m ix. In the sp ring, winter peas can be killed by d isking,as they are su cculent. Mow first if the stand is rank. Mow ing w ill killthe stand if don e at bloom stage.

Su it ab le fo r N o , u n les s so w n b et w een ro w s o f v eg et ab le s d u r in g t he o p tim u mIn tercrop pin g: p lan tin g w in dow.Suitable for Mixes: Yes, mix with small grains.Su it ab le fo r Yes . A ny see d er th at ca n pla nt ga rd en p ea s ca n pla nt w in ter p ea s.Small Growers: Small growers should invest igate using Austr ian winter peas instead

of hairy vetch, if they live in an area adap ted to th e winter p ea. Useoats as a nurse crop to avoid the problems of incorporating a winterhard y small grain the following spring. Austrian w inter peas are

especially suited as green m anu re before transplanted warm seasonvegetables.

General Comm ents: The winter pea is probably the best over wintering legum e forvegetable production in those regions of Kansas where it consistentlyoverwinters.

Source / Cos t: Aust rian win ter peas a re read ily available in southern and cent ra lKansas. Some farm-raised seed may be available. Prices should rangefrom $0.45 to $0.60 per p oun d.



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Crimson CloverVa rie tie s: M an y v ar ie ties exist bu t cr im so n clo ver is gen er ally so ld a s v ar ie ty

not stated.Characteris tics: Crimson clover is a rapid growing, moderate N fixing (70 to

80 pound s per acre) legum e. It grow s rapidly in cool weather, fasterthan the red clover. It is fairly tolerant of a semi-acid soil and grow s inlow fertility soil although it respon ds to P. Inoculate w ith alfalfa/ clover inoculant. It has fair cold tolerance. Spring growth is rapid,with flowering by mid-May in most years. Flowering completes its lifecycle althoug h it read ily reseeds itself. If spr ing p lanted , crimsonclover grow s a few inches and then flowers.

A d ap t ed t o: Win ter su r viv ab ilit y is en h an ce d by u sin g a sm a ll gr ain n u rs e cr op .Survival no rth of I-70 is dou btful. South of I-70, crimson clover d oesbetter bu t winter kill is still possible. Crimson clover is best ad apted tosoutheast Kansas.

Sowing Dates : Mid-August to mid / la te September. Expect rap id fall growth if moistu re is available.

So win g Rates Seed at 20 to 40 p ou n ds p er a cr e ( 1 2 to 2 pou nd s per 1,000 square feet).and Methods: Crimson clover is the largest seeded of the clovers. Dril l or broadcast/

shallow till.Management : Management is easy with the mos t cr it ica l decis ion being t ime to

incorpor ate. Crimson clover is low grow ing (18 inches) so disking ispossible but m ultiple diskings w ill probably be needed . It can bemow ed before incorporation.

Su it ab le fo r G en er ally n o. It ca n be so w n in to exis tin g ve get ab le s in A u gu stIn tercropping: through September for la te fa ll cover and graz ing .Suitable for Mixes: Small grains, if the grower intends for it to survive the winter and

regrow in the spring.Suitab le for Small sca le growers could use cr imson clover for it s rap id fa ll g rowth ,Sm a ll Gr ow er s: b u t b et te r ch oices exist .

General Comments: Crimson clover could be a good cover crop choice for southeasternKansas, if the grow er can find a sou rce for econom ical seed.Source / Cos t: Crimson clover is hard to find . Feed deale rs may be able to specia l

ord er. It is available from severa l mail order sou rces.Grain Ry e

Va rieties: M an y va rieties exist bu t ry e is u su ally sow n as var iety n ot stat ed .Characteris tics: Grain rye is a very hardy small grain. I t grows longer into the fall than

other small grains and resumes grow th earlier in the spring. It is thetallest of the small grains. It will grow on m ost soils but does best insand y soils. It is an extrem ely efficient nu trient scavenger , better thanthe other sm all grains. It is an excellent trap crop for nitrog en. Itsdense an d fibrous root system is a significant builder of organic matterand makes h eavy soil more friable. If planted early enough in the fall itprovides good grazing and it is often spring grazed as w ell. It has beenshown to h ave w eed sup pressor (allelopathic) characteristicsbetter than other overwintering grains. Its rapid spring grow thpr odu ces a lot of biomass. This biomass w ill be a significant pr oblem if a wet spring delays incorporation. Even if turned und er in time, thebulk w ill cause planting and germination problems for small seededvegetables.

A d ap t ed t o: A ll of Ka ns as. Gr ow er s p la nn in g to u se ry e s ho u ld b e aw a re th at it is aserious w eed in wh eat fields. Growers in major wh eat growing areasshould be sure of their ability to man age rye before they plant it oravoid using rye in any area w here wheat may b e a rotated crop.



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Grain Rye, co nt.Sowing Dates : Seed f rom la te August th rough la te October. November p lan t ings are

feasible in southern Kansas. Grain rye can be spring seeded an d growwell but it w ill die before flowering.

Sowing Rates If rye is seeded with a legume such as vetch , use 50 pounds per acreand Methods : or less depending on the vetch rate. For st ra igh t seed ing , use 60 to

200 pou nd s per acre. The higher rates are recomm ended for lateplantings. Rye can be broad cast and disked or tilled in bu t is bestdr illed. Rye can germin ate on the soil surface if moistu re is available.

Management : Rye takes a tten t ion to detail to manage proper ly. In the spr ing , t ill inwh en th e rye is 8 to 16 inches tall or wait u ntil it flower s to kill it bymow ing. Rye is a very effective wind break; till out strips early th en letthe remaining rye grow un til the vegetables are w ell established. Ryestraw itself may be allelopathic and mow n straw has been show n tosup press weeds for some time. Incorporation of the straw ind uces itsweed suppressing effect. If planting into turned under rye, wait severalweeks to allow th e roots and oth er residu e time to rot. Two diskings

may be needed before planting.Sui table for If fa ll sown, s tr ips can be t illed ou t as mentioned above. Spr ing sownIntercropping: rye can provide cover bu t cheaper op t ions a re available .Suitable for Mixes: Rye is usually sown w ith a hardy legume such as hairy vetch. The rye

acts as a scaffold for the vetch, preventin g some vetch ma tting. Cloverscan be sown with th e rye if sown before late September. Frost seedingclovers or lespedeza into rye in early spring is risky because of ryesallelopathic effect.

Su it ab le fo r In s om e ca se s. If th ey ca n in co rp o ra te it ea rly en ou g h, ry e ca n beSmall Growers: managed without plows or heavy disks. Its best use for small scale

growers is as a weed supp ressor in w eedy p lots. Let it flower, mow it,wait several weeks to let it decomp ose and p lant a summ er legume ora large seeded vegetable or tran splant for fall harvest.

General Comm ents: Rye is very versatile and can be very useful if managed p roperly.

Traditionally sown with h airy vetch, these combinations can get aw ayfrom a grower if the weather does not cooperate. Growers with sand yland can p robably get away w ith it. Avoid this mix for bottom groun dor soils that dr y slowly. Rye is especially usefu l if the gro wer h asaccess to manure an d n eeds to clean up a weedy field or impr ove soilstru cture in clay soils. It is an excellent choice for gro wer s wh o wa ntan occasional cover crop and those w ho rely on chem ical fertilizers fornu trients as it is so efficient as a trap crop . There is some evid ence thatusing rye to clean u p a field one year pr ior to planting onionssignificantly redu ces the cultivation n eeded to grow onions from seedor an y oth er w eed-sensitive vegetable.

Source / Cos t: Feed dea le rs can specia l o rder grain rye from their wholesa le rs . Thereis renewed interest among farmers in u sing rye for temporary grazingso it shou ld be easier to bu y seed. Prices will vary bu t will average$9 per 50-pou nd bag.



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Other Overwintering Small GrainsWinter Wheat and BarleyVa rie tie s: M an y v ar iet ies a re a va ila ble , u se w h at is a va ila ble. Feed w h ea t is

perfectly acceptab le as a cover crop.Characteris tics: Winter wheat grows much l ike grain rye but is less vigorous in the fall .

Winter wheat overwinters well in Kansas and resum es growth in thespring. Growth is rapid after March w ith seed h eads forming in lateMay. Winter wh eat does not have as d ense a root system as rye nordoes it sup press w eeds or trap nu trients as well as rye. It is as an effectivenur se crop as rye. Modern wh eats are nearly all short stalkedaver-aging 30 inches tall. Wheat is droug ht tolerant and does best in d eep,well drained soil. Barley is grown in p arts of Kansas and h as the samecharacteristics as wh eat.

A d ap t ed t o: W hea t is g ro w n t hr ou g ho u t Ka ns as . So me ba rley is g ro w n in Ka ns as .Sowing Dates: Genera lly seeded be tween mid-September to la te October.Sowing Rates Rates vary in d i ffe ren t reg ions; 25 to 50 pounds per acre is a ru le of and Methods: thumb. When seeded wi th a legume, ad jus t ra tes to favor the legume.

Wheat is best drilled bu t can be broadcast and disked or har rowed in.Management : Manage wheat like rye. Wheat g rows slower in the spring than rye.

Growers have m uch time to incorporate wheat. It can get too matu refor rapid d ecomp osition in a wet spring.

Suitab le for Genera lly no . St rips can be t illed in to s tanding wheat in ear ly spr ingIntercropping: for seeding vegetables. Wheat is an acceptable windbreak, but not as

good as rye.Suitable for Mixes: Wheat is often planted w ith hairy vetch for wh ich it is a good nur se

crop. Unlike rye, wheat is good for frost seeding clovers andlespedeza . Sweetclover can be planted with w heat in the fall or frostseeded into it early spring. If fall seeded, the sw eetclover/ wh eat mixcan produce excellent biomass for spring incorporation. If sweetcloveris frost seeded, the w heat mu st be killed by m owing (after flowering).The sweetclover will not grow enough to justify turning u nd er un tilthe late sum mer , fall, or best of all, the following spr ing.

Su it ab le fo r N o t r ea lly su it ed . A w h ea t/ A u st ria n w in te r p ea m ix ca n be co nt ro lledSmall Growers: by mowing. This mix is best sui ted for t ransplants. Wheat alone is apoor choice. Use rye alone for w eed sup pression or soil building oroats for cover and residue.

General Comments: Wheat is a good choice as a nur se crop for w inter legum es. The mix iseasier to man age in the spr ing than a rye m ix. There is generally noadvan tage to seeding w heat alone unless the grower p lans to frostseed a clover in th e spring.

Source / Cos t: Wheat is ava ilable and cheap everywhere in Kansas . These fact s a loneoften are the m ajor reason grow ers use wh eat. Feed wh eat usuallycosts between $5 to $6 per 50-pound bag. Farm raised wh eat maybe considerably cheaper.

Annual Ryeg rass (not to b e confu sed with Grain Rye and/or Perennial Ryeg rass)Va rieties: W hen bu yin g an n ua l r yeg ra ss, b e su re th at y ou ar e n ot p u rch asin g

perennial ryegrass by m istake.Characteristics: Annual ryegrass is a fast growing, cool season grass. It is used for

quick grazing and erosion control. It tolerates almost all soils but doesbest on d eep fertile soils. It is very tolerant of wet grou nd and temp-orary flooding. It will grow on acid soil and h as a den se root system, soit is excellent for nitrogen trap ping an d h olds soil well. Its growthhabit complements clovers and lespedeza so it is a good nu rse crop. Itis not drou ght tolerant. It forms seed in mid-Jun e, after that, growth isminim al. If seedhead s establish, it can self-seed a nd regrow . If fallplanted, winter killing is not guaran teed in Kansas. Annual ryegrasswill grow w ell if spring planted.

Ad ap ted to: Eastern Kansas.



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Annual Ryegrass (not to be confused with Grain Rye and/or Perennial Ryegrass), cont.Sowing Dates: From mid-August to late-September. Fall growth is heavily influenced

by fall weather. In spring, plant from late February to m id-April.Sowing Rates Seed a t 18 to 40 pounds per acre (1 to 2 pounds per 1000 square feet ).and Methods : Seeding rates can be ad jus ted to include legumes or for a th icker s tand .

Best dr illed b ut can be tilled in. Shallow coverag e is all that is need ed.Annu al ryegrass has been sown m ixed w ith manu re in a spreader andcovered w ith a thin layer of mulch.

Management : Annual ryegrass is easy to es tablish and quick growing . Mowing isnot needed un less the grass has gone to seed. Unlike matu re smallgrains, annual ryegrass stays green and is easier to incorporate w henmatur e. Its dense root system takes time to d ecomp ose; avoid p lantingsmall seeded v egetables in old ry egrass sod. This doesnt app ly if thesod has had several months to break dow n.

Su it ab le fo r A nn u al ry eg ra ss is an e xce lle nt ch oice as a n ur se cr op fo r leg u m esIn tercropping: when es tablish ing legume s tr ips in a vege table / legume s tr ipcrop

rotation. Annual ryegrass can be established in late Au gust forvegetables.

Suitable for Mixes: Well suited to plant with clovers, lesped eza and even nond orman talfalfa (use light rate). This mix will not p rovid e the same amou nt of biomass as a clover/ oat mix. Ryegrass can be m ixed with vetch.

Sui table for Annual ryegrass can be eas ily incorporated if t illed ear ly enough inSmall Growers: the spring. It is an excellent choice for pathways. If the grower has

access to manu re, use ryegrass as a fall seeded trap crop.General Comments: Annu al Ryegrass has several unique characteri

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Cover Crops Kansas State