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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Velvetbean, as green manure

14 years ago

My large garden is exhausted, sandy, well-drained. I was researching Velvetbean and it seems to be just what we need for the conditions I have.It grows well in sandy, infertile soils. It is vigorous-growing in the warm season. In one article i read, it mentioned it being superior to cowpeas for improving future vegetable crop yields. It was used extensively before the 1940's before fertilizers got cheaper.

I really need a crop that will add lots of organic matter to the soil and reduce nematodes. I also want to leave it growing and forget it for a while instead of trying to farm the whole big garden (exhausting for me).

Can anyone relate a personal experience with growing Velvetbean?

Thanks in advance,

zinia

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Comments (3)

cowgirl2
14 years ago
You should also consider adding fertilizer to the garden when growing the cover crop. This will increase the organic matter in you soil by the increased root growth.

Do you use fertilizer at all when growing vegetables?
digdirt2
14 years ago
VB is a great green manure but it is also very expensive when compared to the many other good GMs - which are also easier to find seed for.

But I too would be curious as to who your soil is so "exhausted"? If it truly is then a 1 time cover crop isn't going to fix it.

Dave
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Oh... I also think this CHART is pretty phenomenal. It lists cover crops and their specific uses. The article I posted above is pretty detailed. For example the Barbara Pleasant (Mother Earth) article linked above, she suggests "biodrilling" into clay soil with the sharp roots of daikon radishes and canola rape. Then you can turn to the chart I like here and find out that diakon attracts beneficial insects and loosens heavy soil, but it doesn't fix Nitrogen or add much organic matter. However, Canola will add organic matter, keep out weeds and tolerate the heavy soil. Used together its a pretty good pair, but still doesn't fix any Nitrogen. I think these two resources together are great as tools for selecting the best cover crops (together with zone info, etc) but they don't give me a good idea of when to plant what in zone 10 California. Hence....I'm still begging for a good calender of which common cover crops can be planted/turned in which months. I'd like to see: buckwheat, clover, barley, peas/beans, oats, radish (esp daikon), rape, rye, vetch. Here is a link that might be useful: Cover Crop Chart - Functions of various plants
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Zinia
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the comments. I use 10-10-10 for the vegetables, mostly. For corn, I add ammonium nitrate. About 2 years ago, I put agricultural lime over most of the garden after having a soil test done at the state's soil lab. The soil is so deficient in humus, it tends to dry out too quickly and crust. I also have spent the last 2 summers removing wiregrass (wild bermuda, I think).
My husband runs the tractor through the garden and then we have both used a 4-tined garden rake and attempted to get it out by hand. Last summer, I sprayed Round-up on patches of it, as well. This garden has lots of potential--no tree root competition, full sun exposure, ...
Because of other time commitments and not enough assistance, limiting how many vegetables we grow, and planting the rest in a crop that will grow really well, given our conditions, and will provide the most plant matter, is what I desire.
In Cuba, tomatoes are shaded by planting a row of corn on either side and they produce better. My plans are to have a row of tomatoes, peppers, and ground cherries (about 90 ft long row). Plan to plant a row of Sudangrass on the west side to help shade the tomatoes and peppers. Sometimes our tomatoes and especially peppers, blister in July and August, so I'm excited about trying this. The corn will be grown in another block that has annual rye growing over it, now. About 2 weeks ago, we had a few days of heavy rains and I spread some 10-10-10 over the rye. Husband will disc it under sometime before we plant the corn. I want to keep the east side open to the sun/air flow. On that side, there will be velvetbean, unless I change my mind.
I would prefer to use all-natural fertilizers, but due to expense and lack of man-power, it is more efficient for me to covercrop, green manure, and intercrop. I'm willing to spend the money on seed since it will provide longer-lasting results on the soil structure and smother weeds, plus I won't need to work as hard as in the past. Need time to "smell the roses".
zinia

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