Hand-tilling cover crops
 

I'm thinking about some fall-planted clover or vetch for a cover crop. I was
pleased with the result when I cover cropped years ago, but we had a bigger
plot then, with a rototiller and a winter-buckwheat that grew near shoulder
high. We don't have the space or the rototiller any more. I'm wondering if
I'd be in over my head if I planned to hand spade and hoe about 500 square
feet of legumes. Is there anyone out there doing cover crops with just hand
tools? How difficult is the spring work?

Kathy

In article , Kathy wrote:
I'm thinking about some fall-planted clover or vetch for a cover crop. I was
pleased with the result when I cover cropped years ago, but we had a bigger
plot then, with a rototiller and a winter-buckwheat that grew near shoulder
high. We don't have the space or the rototiller any more. I'm wondering if
I'd be in over my head if I planned to hand spade and hoe about 500 square
feet of legumes. Is there anyone out there doing cover crops with just hand
tools? How difficult is the spring work?

I found that rye was pretty tough stuff. The legumes are pretty easy,
especially if you don't obsess about tilling the stuff in. Use a hoe to
chop the stuff off at the ground surface, and leave the roots (nearly) intact.
If necessary, go through later on an as-needed basis with a fork to loosen
things up for the new planting(s). Yes, I'm trying to get to "no-till".

There is work involved -- I don't try to do all of my ~ 1000 ft^2 in one
day -- but it is doable. Of course the more green you have, the more mass
you'll have to move around (dump into the compost pile).

Do a bit of it at a time and it shouldn't be bad. You don't need to clear
it all in a day, do you?

HTH...

-frank
--

In article , Kathy wrote:
I'm thinking about some fall-planted clover or vetch for a cover crop. I was
pleased with the result when I cover cropped years ago, but we had a bigger
plot then, with a rototiller and a winter-buckwheat that grew near shoulder
high. We don't have the space or the rototiller any more. I'm wondering if
I'd be in over my head if I planned to hand spade and hoe about 500 square
feet of legumes. Is there anyone out there doing cover crops with just hand
tools? How difficult is the spring work?

I found that rye was pretty tough stuff. The legumes are pretty easy,
especially if you don't obsess about tilling the stuff in. Use a hoe to
chop the stuff off at the ground surface, and leave the roots (nearly) intact.
If necessary, go through later on an as-needed basis with a fork to loosen
things up for the new planting(s). Yes, I'm trying to get to "no-till".

There is work involved -- I don't try to do all of my ~ 1000 ft^2 in one
day -- but it is doable. Of course the more green you have, the more mass
you'll have to move around (dump into the compost pile).

Do a bit of it at a time and it shouldn't be bad. You don't need to clear
it all in a day, do you?

HTH...

-frank
--

"Frank Miles" wrote in message
...
In article , Kathy
wrote:
I'm thinking about some fall-planted clover or vetch for a cover crop. I
was
pleased with the result when I cover cropped years ago, but we had a
bigger
plot then, with a rototiller and a winter-buckwheat that grew near
shoulder
high. We don't have the space or the rototiller any more. I'm wondering
if
I'd be in over my head if I planned to hand spade and hoe about 500
square
feet of legumes. Is there anyone out there doing cover crops with just
hand
tools? How difficult is the spring work?

I found that rye was pretty tough stuff. The legumes are pretty easy,
especially if you don't obsess about tilling the stuff in. Use a hoe to
chop the stuff off at the ground surface, and leave the roots (nearly)
intact.
If necessary, go through later on an as-needed basis with a fork to loosen
things up for the new planting(s). Yes, I'm trying to get to "no-till".

There is work involved -- I don't try to do all of my ~ 1000 ft^2 in one
day -- but it is doable. Of course the more green you have, the more mass
you'll have to move around (dump into the compost pile).

Do a bit of it at a time and it shouldn't be bad. You don't need to clear
it all in a day, do you?

HTH...

-frank

Thanks, Frank! No, I usually go out in the spring with a spade and turn
over a quarter of the garden one day, and a quarter the next, so it's not a
big job. I'm not going no-till (at least not yet) but I'm no human
rototiller, either! Somehow I was imagining a cover crop like wresting a new
garden from sod, where if you just spade it over the grass just reverses
course and comes up as thickly as ever. As long as a legume cover crop won't
come up from the roots again like a new crop of weeds, I'm all set.

Kathy

It sounds like your plot isn't too large so you may be a good candidate for
an old fashioned scythe. They can often be found rather cheaply and if you
are good at sharpening blades they work well.
While I don't use it much now, I still have my grandfathers scythe that I
learned on about forty-five years ago.
If anyone goes this route it helps a lot to have some instruction on proper
form. Don't use just your arms, use your whole body.
Best, Ken..

--
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"Kathy" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about some fall-planted clover or vetch for a cover crop. I
was
pleased with the result when I cover cropped years ago, but we had a
bigger
plot then, with a rototiller and a winter-buckwheat that grew near
shoulder
high. We don't have the space or the rototiller any more. I'm wondering if
I'd be in over my head if I planned to hand spade and hoe about 500 square
feet of legumes. Is there anyone out there doing cover crops with just
hand
tools? How difficult is the spring work?

Kathy