I have a line up of seeds for cover crops in the big garden (Don’s garden). Typically we plant legumes to get more nitrogen into the soil. And eventually the plant litter should help develop more humus in this sand. Also, this year I started scattering legume seeds to grow around particularly heavy feeding plants like squash. That way the soil gets nourished during growing season, and I may get a secondary crop. My legume of choice is purple hull pea. We’ll also plant hairy vetch and winter peas for cover crop. Mother Earth News had a good article in a recent newsletter about cover crops, click here to read it.
Before we plant legumes, and right before Don tills, I’ve bought lots of peat to spread on the garden so it can be worked in, to help improve and nourish the soil. I’ll probably end up throwing some diatomaceous earth on the soil too, to help control the bugs and help with nutrient uptake.
There’s a great nursery near the intersection of 6 and 185, just north of Waco, Organic Plus. They carry bulk cover crop seeds, and lots of other things you can’t live without! On a recent trip I bought 10% vinegar to kill weeds (works wonderfully), diatomaceous earth, dried seaweed powder, artichoke plants, and Chinese cabbage plants. Their prices are much better than, well almost anywhere else. And if you need some free range eggs, they have those too.
I’ve begun planting vegetable seeds in my garden (the small garden). I’ll be able to plant beds in the back area too, since Don put deer netting and gates up. I think he was more concerned about me getting arrested for harming the deer, than he was about the deer eating all the vegetation. Deer and squirrels, are seemingly cute creatures to most people, but are on my hit list. I like deer slightly more than squirrels, because I’ll be glad to have deer for dinner. It’s not that I’m against having squirrel for dinner, I’ve just never tasted it, and don’t know anyone who cooks it.
The grasshoppers, on the other hand, are still beheading the seedlings. I do have a plan for them. I think I’ll take them fishing with us, it will be a lovely outing for them.