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Whitehall Montana

Here in my part of montana it is always hard to get a cover crop in before the snow flies and we can get snow up till the last day of April.Night time temps in April still tend to be below freezing most everynight.Is there anything I can use,like alfalfa pellets to replace this green manure crop?I do realize it wont get my Mycos going early but seems I dont have the option most years for a cover crop.Thank you in advance

2/23/2016 7:03:27 PM

Deer Park WA

Winter Rye is awesome for its deep roots, bio-mass and is super hardy! when we grew in the Palouse (high plains of Eastern Wa) it froze hard early and late. Learned to plant the rye as soon as we harvested the pumpkins and always had a nice stand of cover crop in early spring despite -20 winters.

2/24/2016 1:01:38 AM

Central Illinois

alfalfa pellets may attract jackalope to your patch

2/24/2016 7:59:18 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Compost. Its already broken down unlike green manure that has to be broken down in the soil before plants can use it.

2/24/2016 11:02:20 AM

Whitehall Montana

I do have a Jackalope problem here for sure.This year we pulled the pumpkins the first of October and had snow in the mountains during weighoff,then in the valleys a week later.Maybe I still can scratch some in this spring.Thank you for the answers.

2/24/2016 3:26:23 PM

Colorado

If your too cool or the grounds frozen rake some winter rye seed in and cover with clear plastic-It will sprout in about four days.Leave the plastic there till its about 4 inches tall

2/24/2016 6:24:03 PM

Deer Park WA

if you have open areas of the patch due to splits, frost pruning, early weigh offs or whatever throw down rye asap! rye requires germination and vernificaction in order to produce a viable seed for consecutive generatons of annual rye. Handy to know for crop rotation and fallow fields. weeds die if you grow rye!

2/24/2016 10:10:10 PM

Midway, UT

I found if you put your seed in a bucket of sand in a warm place with a little water, Azos and humic acid in it and then put that seed down when it has warmed up during the day that your germination rate will drastically increase. cojoe's advice only makes it better.

2/25/2016 5:03:03 PM