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Urban Exodus  |  Living off the Land  |  Farming & Gardening  |  Topic: Edible cover crop? What to plant on excavated 1/3 ac?
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Author Topic: Edible cover crop? What to plant on excavated 1/3 ac?  (Read 328 times)
migratingoose
Adept

Posts: 73
« on: June 02, 2009, 06:47:51 PM »
We have a newly excavated (caterpillar cleared) back 1/3 ac of our W WA property.  This was covered with blackberries and is now bare dirt.  We need to plant something to control erosion and avoid mud.  We may put goats and a Lama back there eventually, but have no fences/housing for them yet.  This area backs to 10+ acres of woods on two sides and is partially shaded.

I think I will need to be able to mow it with the lawn tractor in order to prevent the blackberries from taking over again.  It is a long way from water unless we find a way to pump it up from the year round creek 50' away. Not hard but I've no pump knowledge.

I love forging edible things. Would an edible cover crop work? Be more nutritious for animals later?
Sweet clover? Mustard? Radish? Fodder? Tyfon?

Or to keep this manageable should we stick with a grass cover? Transplant couch grass tufts? Seed with Rye? Wheat? Something else?

Anyone foresee potential problems? Something that might work?
What would you do? Comments, thoughts and ideas please!
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Whiterock
Jesus Knows Me, This I Love
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Posts: 3333


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« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2009, 10:57:59 PM »
Kudzu. =D
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Larry
Adept

Posts: 327
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2009, 08:11:25 AM »
What kind of ground? Clay, sand etc?

The first thing I would do is get a soil test.

You may consider an annual lespedeza http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G4515
it does well in poor soil and should help keep weeds shaded out and build soil.

 
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migratingoose
Adept

Posts: 73
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2009, 12:46:47 PM »
Our soil is Silt Loam to Sandy Loam with winter water table 2' below ground on upper half and at surface or just below on lower half. It is dry now.
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