Paulns asks:

"Any suggestions for good combinations for zone 6a, northeast? If we can harvest some grain out of it the first year, for chicken feed, all the better."

That depends on what you plan to do with the land once you have the land in the condition you wish. Since I have no knowledge of your exact climate environment I can only offer my thoughts in general terms.

Considering you will be using the organic matter to improve the soil my main focus would be on restoring the soil to its maximum mineral content before planting in the soil again. I too would build a few compost piles for the express purpose of using it on this land before planting in again. This will provide me with a ready supply of humus to deal with those parts of the leys that are not decomposed yet. And too, since the chickens will be eating the grain, I would want them to feed on grain full of nutrition that can be passed on to my family in the form of food. This could be accomplished by using a full spectrum soil amendment (fertilizer), not just focusing on N-P-K. While well-made compost could meet this need, I would eliminate the "possible" and put the minerals in the soil myself to be on the safe side. My thinking is that if I am going to invest my time, money, and energy I want bursting return on my investment.

Below is a link to an article about restoring soil mineral content. Although they do offer products to meet those needs, I would trust my own resources and ignore their offers. Our land is our most treasured investment in this time period, IMO. Knowing as we do, that organic gardening provides us all with a measure of health insurance, it will be wise indeed to do the best we can with what we have.

If you are planning on growing flowers on the land, nevermindÂ

Blutranes

Here is a link that might be useful: On The Importance of Minerals

Alfalfa will fix N and grow into a groundcover. You can cut and dry the greens for your cluckers, even let them in there to forage. Alfalfa is perennial, but not as aggresive as most perennial clovers.

You could make use of hot summer by studding the patch with some amaranth and/or millet, both summer annuals. They grow really tall, but yield a lot of grain and forage of minimal effort.

Here is a link that might be useful: my website

I would suggest wheat or oats with a grass/legume seed mixture under sowed in it in the spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: grass mixture

Thanks for these ideas and links. Those are some innovative composting plans you've got there Barbara.

My goal is to recharge the soil - mainly to improve the nitrogen content and build humus - using the minimum amount of energy/labour and cash input. It's very sandy, perfect for asparagus but not so much for annual vegetable crops, and going downhill every year despite lots of compost and mulch and one light tilling, or in some places none, each year.

Oats are cheap and readily available at the farmers co-op, and we can get hairy vetch and sweet clover there, but not alfalfa for some reason. What if I seed oats and hairy vetch or sweet clover together in late spring, and leave them alone for two years? We get a fair amount of rain during the summer so once they're established I'd expect them to be care free. The oats would winter kill, the legume would carry on - or so I imagine. And we could let in a couple chickens at a time, once it's going strong.

I'm thinking of doing this to 400 sq ft of garden at a time, in two sections, of a total garden space of 4000 sq ft. We've recently put in two other gardens with much better fertility, so for the first time I feel we can afford to do this rotation.

Do you foresee problems with this plan? I've grown oats before but I'm leery of the clovers/vetch, which seem like potential weeds and maybe hard to work into the soil in spring.

Plant annual ryegrass, or so-called 'contractor's grass seed'. It will run deep in the roots, especially if you can get away with not mowing it. It will die, in fall, and will not survive another year. But those deep roots will stay. If it's a small area, you might lightly (not deeply) rototill the dead grass into the soil, and rake level, in the late fall.

Vetch's can be kind of weedy (crown vetch is actually invasive). Cereal rye is a good one for fall planting and can give you some grain. I don't know if chickens like rye however. I have successfully planted partridge pea by innoculating and then broadcasting the seed. I don't know if the innoculant is necessary but it came with the seed as part of the order. I'm not sure how it does in association with grain.

Annual ryegrass is great, lots of roots - but it stopped winter-killing here...
I downloaded Managing Cover Crops Profitably, waded through it...The more I read or hear about cover crops the more complicated the timing of planting and turning under seems.
Vetch does sound like it could be a problem. I'm leaning toward oats and red clover, though the latter isn't the best of the N-fixers. Plant them this spring and turn them in next. It sounds like clover should be put in ahead of oats?

Last fall I sowed red clover on an 8" tall raised bed garden. It appears to have overwintered this spring -- the plants are still green now the snow is melting, though they look awful bedraggled -- and in the warmer time of the year ahead I plan to try buckwheat in another area of the garden.

Paul, could you scythe or mow down annual ryegrass, then cover it with a lasagna bed or layers of newspaper? It does seem to be #1 for sheer root mass and deep subsoil penetration.

All the best,
-Patrick

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:271578}}

Be careful which clover you use, because some can be a little too persistent. However, oats are big, rowdy plants, and between them and the hairy vetch (not nearly as invasive as crown vetch), it's gonna grow into a waist-high tangled sea of green. Chop enough down to admit a few chickens, and they are going to be some happy birds! You could also grow some flowers and plug them in skips or around the edges. Calendulas supposedly help make egg yolks really dark orange, and they attract beneficials, as do on carrot family herbs, sweet alyssum, and lots of other pretties.

You have a lucky plot of land there.

Here is a link that might be useful: my website

Why not contact your local Nova Scotia Agricultural College (link below) and get their advice? I typed 'cover crops' in their search box and got 26 articles.

Also, you can get the text of a very nice book online for free from an Australian site at http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0302hsted/0302homested.html The title of the book is Small-Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon, which is out of print. It contains lots of information on raising grains for people and livestock. Entertaining and easy to read.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Nova Scotia Agricultural College

Netscape cut out just as I was about to submit the longest response...Will try again tomorrow, yes it's past time to switch to firefox.

Paul,
Reading here and I noticed Sue mentioning the NSAC. You should try them. I sourced them for planting Hollies a couple of years ago and was pleasantly surprised by their great response and help.

Now if I could just keep the deers away from the Hollies in the winter... They look like "$?%!! right now.