Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand white
clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is edging
ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if I want to
terminate my trial

My growing conditions.
1200 mm average annual rainfall - most falling in winter
Winter - frosts (maybe 10-15 per year with perhaps -3 or 4 celcius at its
severe worst) highs less than 14 dgrees C.
Summer - dry between jan - march, average temp around 24 but highs from time
to time up around 28-30 and humid
Inland setting

Any tentative suggestions welcomed. Thanks


rob

Andy writes:

As far as I know, anything "living" will compete with the plants
you want
for nutrients. And I saw on the Discovery Channel than many plants,
including grasses "exude" something that retards the growth of other
plants
around them, in order to enhance their own survival....

I will be watching this thread to see if anyone comes up with a
suggestion
for you, since it is an idea that has benefit to all of us, if
possible. But I
really don't think it's going to work out......

Good luck.

In article
,
AndyS wrote:

Andy writes:

As far as I know, anything "living" will compete with the plants
you want
for nutrients. And I saw on the Discovery Channel than many plants,
including grasses "exude" something that retards the growth of other
plants
around them, in order to enhance their own survival....

I will be watching this thread to see if anyone comes up with a
suggestion
for you, since it is an idea that has benefit to all of us, if
possible. But I
really don't think it's going to work out......

Good luck.

http://www.avant-gardening.com/companion.html

May be of interest.

Bill


More always more

http://www.avant-gardening.com/companion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants
http://www.altdotenergy.com/renewabl...aculture-compa
nion-planting/
http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsle...n_planting.asp

Winter a good time to peruse. Promise of 5 degree F tonight.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

"George.com" wrote in message
...
Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand
white clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A
mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is edging
ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if I want
to terminate my trial

Do a google on "clever clover". IIRC, a chap from CSIRO had found a
particular form of clover that he was using in a way that you describe -
can't remember the details now, but I do remeber it was a particular type of
clover but not one one I recognised as a commercially grown grazing form.
Diggers at Dromana, Vic used to sell the seeds.

In article
,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

"George.com" wrote in message
...
Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand
white clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A
mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is edging
ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if I want
to terminate my trial

Do a google on "clever clover". IIRC, a chap from CSIRO had found a
particular form of clover that he was using in a way that you describe -
can't remember the details now, but I do remeber it was a particular type of
clover but not one one I recognised as a commercially grown grazing form.
Diggers at Dromana, Vic used to sell the seeds.

http://www2b.abc.net.au/gardening/newposts/000/topic233464.shtm

Maybe of use.

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

"George.com" wrote in message
...
Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds
roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back
to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand
white clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A
mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is
edging
ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if I
want
to terminate my trial

Do a google on "clever clover". IIRC, a chap from CSIRO had found a
particular form of clover that he was using in a way that you describe -
can't remember the details now, but I do remeber it was a particular type
of
clover but not one one I recognised as a commercially grown grazing form.
Diggers at Dromana, Vic used to sell the seeds.

http://www2b.abc.net.au/gardening/newposts/000/topic233464.shtm


cheers cobbers. "Clever Clover" seems to be a breed of subterranean clover.
I have located a source in NZ and am doing some research on it. It may be
the way to go, dies back in summer apparently & grows through winter. Can't
get the aussie stuff shipped over.

rob

Bill wrote:

Andy replies:

Good websites.... Thanks, Bill....

"George.com" wrote in message
...
Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand
white clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A
mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is edging
ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if I want
to terminate my trial

My growing conditions.
1200 mm average annual rainfall - most falling in winter
Winter - frosts (maybe 10-15 per year with perhaps -3 or 4 celcius at its
severe worst) highs less than 14 dgrees C.
Summer - dry between jan - march, average temp around 24 but highs from
time
to time up around 28-30 and humid
Inland setting

Any tentative suggestions welcomed. Thanks

After some research and thought I have decided to trial blcoks of
subterranean clover and red clover. I will put them in at the end of summer
and monitor how they go. Ultimately, you can do much reading but if you
can't observe someone else doing it, only way to find out is do it yourself.

rob

Consider hairy vetch. Good stuff. It does mat a bit, but I don't think it
is uncontrolable.

Robert in the hills of Tennessee



"George.com" wrote in message
...

"George.com" wrote in message
...
Does anyone here maintain a permanent living mulch/cover crop on a vege
garden. If so, what do you use.

I am looking for a permanent living mulch that would broadly fit the
following parameters

I am looking for something that would do ok on raised garden beds roughly
1.5 m wide and 3-4 m long and 200-300 mm high.

ideally a nitrogen fixer
smething that does not grow too high or too quickly
something that does not grow dense mat across the garden
something that will survive a few winter frosts and dry summers
something that I can cut back but which will slowly works its was back to
health
something that will last a few years

I have thought of various clovers. In my lawn I have Dutch/New Zealand
white clover which is ok but does run quite wild and is quite thick. A
mate
suggested maybe red clover. I have investigated both, red clover is
edging ahead as it has a shorter life than white. This will be useful if
I want to terminate my trial

My growing conditions.
1200 mm average annual rainfall - most falling in winter
Winter - frosts (maybe 10-15 per year with perhaps -3 or 4 celcius at its
severe worst) highs less than 14 dgrees C.
Summer - dry between jan - march, average temp around 24 but highs from
time
to time up around 28-30 and humid
Inland setting

Any tentative suggestions welcomed. Thanks

After some research and thought I have decided to trial blcoks of
subterranean clover and red clover. I will put them in at the end of
summer and monitor how they go. Ultimately, you can do much reading but if
you can't observe someone else doing it, only way to find out is do it
yourself.

rob