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(Marcin) #1

Selecting & Using Cover Crops


Part 1 – 282 | Unit 1.6
Resources


WEB-BASED RESOURCES


Brassicas and Mustards for Cover Cropping in
Organic Farming


http://www.extension.org/pages/18643/brassicas-and-
mustards-for-cover-cropping-in-organic-farming
Describes the potential benefits of using
brassicas and mustards as cover crops.
Thoroughly researched with an extensive
references section, the article describes species
selection, management techniques, and
precautions.

Choosing and Using Cover Crops in the Home
Garden and Orchard


casfs.ucsc.edu/about/publications/for_the_
gardener.html
Orin Martin, manager of UC Santa Cruz’s
Alan Chadwick Garden, discusses the benefits,
varietal selection, timing, planting, and
incorporation of cover crops on a home garden
and backyard orchard scale. 3 pages.

Cover Cropping Systems for Organically Farmed
Vineyards


cemendocino.ucanr.edu/files/17082.pdf
Glenn McGourty, viticulture and plant
science advisor for UCCE in Mendocino and
Lake Counties, describes management of
cover crops in organic viticulture systems.
He includes a “top ten cover crop picks”
for the region, including several plants not
described in this chapter. A 2008 paper by
McGourty and colleagues and published in
California Agriculture describes self-reseeding
annual legumes for untilled vineyards (http://
californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/landingpage.
cfm?articleid=ca.v062n04p191&fulltext=yes).

Cover Crops Topic Room, Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE)


http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Topic-Rooms/
Cover-Crops
This informative website offers educational
materials on a variety of topics, including cover
crop selection and management, crop rotations,
economics, and pest management. Especially
useful are the short videos of growers describing
their experiences with cover crops.

Diverse Cover Crop Mixes for Good Soil Health
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_
PLANTMATERIALS/publications/nypmssy11419.pdf
Paul Salon, a plant materials specialist with
the USDA, discusses the pros and cons of
using various mixes of cover crops species,
particularly in relation to no-till systems in the
Northeast.

Estimating Plant Available Nitrogen (PAN) Release
from Cover Crops
ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/
handle/1957/34720/pnw636.pdf
This publication developed by Oregon State
University researchers provides a step-by-step
guide to estimating the N contribution of cover
crops. It also includes a variety of informative
case studies, including replacing organic
fertilizer N with cover crops, and comparing the
plant available nitrogen (PAN) of various cover
crops used alone and in mixes.

Inoculation of Legumes for Maximum Nitrogen
Fixation
extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/forages/
successful-forage-establishment/inoculation-of-
legumes-for-maximum-nitrogen-fixation
Penn State University publication describes
techniques for inoculating legumes, factors
affecting N fixation, checking roots for
inoculation, and “emergency” inoculation
techniques.

Mixtures and Cocktails: Soil Is Meant To Be Covered
http://www.ctic.org/media/pdf/Cover%20Crops/
Mixtures%20and%20cocktails.pdf
Steve Groff of Cedar Meadow Farm describes
his use of cover crops, including tillage radish,
to build soil organic matter on the farm. Origi-
nally published in the Journal of Soil and Water
Conservation.

Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures
attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.
php?pub=288
Excellent resource from ATTRA covering
the principal uses, benefits, limitations, and
economics of cover crops. Includes extensive
references and resources.
Free download pdf