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Author Archives: covercropper
Soil Conservation and Bean Stubble – the need for Ground Cover, of any sort – maybe a cover crop?
The Soil Conservation potential of Legume stubbles. When I started farming, for some odd reason we were bare fallowing field pea stubbles, with full cultivation, after running a bunch of sheep. What a crazy idea that was – clods and … Continue reading
On Being Prepared to Sow Cover Crop Cocktails.
Be Ye Prepared. I constantly get the impression and message that if we are to successfully sow a summer cover crop cocktail mix in our Mediterranean summers, we need to make the most of the various rainfall events. The reasons … Continue reading
GUAR in a Cover Crop Cocktail Mix
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba AKA Cluster Bean Guar seems to be definitely worth trying as a cover crop. The few past growers I can contact in Australia seem to think so. For cover cropping or otherwise, it can grow good biomass, as … Continue reading
Future blog topics re Summer Cover Cropping – just ask.
Posted in Method, Seed
Tagged African marigold, black gram, brassicas, burgundy beans, butterfly pea, chia, corn, cover crop, cover crops, cowpea, guar, hollyhock, kenaf, lab lab, millets, moth bean, mungbean, niger / noog, pigeon pea, rice bean, safflower, soybean, sudan and sorghams, sunflower, sunn hemp, velvet bean
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Ethiopian Cabbage in a Cover Crop Cocktail Mix
ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE Brassica carinata, also sometimes referred to as B. abyssinica, Ethiopian mustard or rapeseed. The pic is from here, describing how the Ethiopian cabbage stays upright well after ripening, unlike the radish on the left which rots away quickly. Mr … Continue reading
The World’s Biggest QR Code to date
The World’s Biggest QR Code to date
Kraay corn QR code maze.
Hooray and congratulations to the Kraay Family Farm – Home of the Lacombe Corn Maze Inc. LACOMBE, ALBERTA, CANADA. http://www.kraayfamilyfarm.com/
(I know this has nothing to do with cover cropping, but it does flow from my post “The World’s Biggest…“)
This family has been creating corn crop mazes for years, as a part of their Farm Tourism business. And in September 2012 they were recognized by Guinness Book of Records for the largest readable QR code in the world. The 7 acre code is a part of the corn maze, and links to the above website. I like the use of the name below it too – it gives all an idea of what the qr code is about.
My old android can’t read it on the pc screen, but they assure me directly their iphones can. Can yours? Feel free to comment if it can. Maybe I need a better qr code-reading app. It highlights the issue of having a very clear, contrasted, straight-down photo of the code if it is going to be posted online. I wonder if cloud shadows are enough to lessen the contrast needed.
I believe the second pic is a straight down, cropped view of the same code. Anyway, as I suggested can happen, they have heaps of publicity (google “Kraay QR code”), which is just what you want for a tourism business. Be careful what we wish for…
Promoted with permission from the Kraay family via their facebook profile (Lacombe Corn Maze and Kraay Farms).
The World’s Biggest…
Here’s a crazy idea, and I can’t remember how it started. (time on my hands during sowing…?) Since beginning farming I’ve been intrigued by the possibilities and scale of crop art, using different colours and textures within a paddock to … Continue reading
Posted in Method
Tagged cover crop qr code, crop qr code, paddock qr code, qr code, qr code geoglyph
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Pros and Cons of Summer Cover Cropping
I seek and I find. The more I learn/ read about cover cropping, the balance in views about it stays steady. Take this university study, for example. “Depending on rainfall and other weather conditions, cover crops used over 6 to … Continue reading
The Big Question – How to Choose Cover Crop Species and Varieties
THE BIG QUESTION. Without covering ‘why?’ too much, I have a big question. And it won’t be easy to answer or discuss without some background and thoughts. And I could keep it short and sweet, at the risk of being … Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Method, Seed, Shout, Trials, Weeds
Tagged Jill Clapperton, Kris Nichols, managing cover crops profitably, summer cover crop, tepary beans, weeds
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TEPARY BEANS in a Cover Crop Cocktail Mix
TEPARY BEANS T is for Tepary Beans, Phaseolus acutifolius which is out of my alphabetical order, but too bad. Plants at about 7 weeks, garden sown mid Jan 2012, watered. Tepary beans had me intrigued because they are known for … Continue reading
Posted in Seed, Shout, Summer legume spp, Trials
Tagged Bob Reid, David Kenyon, Sally Norton, tepary bean, tepary bean seed, tepary beans
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Aust Cover Crop 