On the afternoon of May 30th, around 4:00 pm the
whole team showed up to plant the seeds! By 4:00, I had already turned under
the cereal rye and fresh compost in the 5th bed. The cereal rye,
which was planted in all of the MLK garden beds acted as a cover crop. Cover
crops provide many benefits in gardens and agriculture. Some of these benefits
are:
- Protect the soil from runoff and erosion
- Recycle and supply nutrients
- Replace soil organic matter
- Suppress weeds.
Different types of cover crops are suitable for different
situations. In general, cereal grains grow vigorously and can provide quick
ground cover even when the weather is cool. Cereal rye is known as the most
commonly grown cover crop in the Northeast since it is strong, very cold hardy,
and can germinate in cool weather. They yield large amounts of biomass when
planted and harvested at proper times. If planting cereal rye, it should be done between the time span
of late august until late October. Two to three (lbs.) pounds of seed should
be applied per 1,000 square feet. When planted in say, September, rye will
capture some of the available nitrogen in the soil and recycle it for the next
crop. However, if too much of the rye stalk is turned under without having time
to decompose before spring planting, it may suppress the growth of spring
crops. Also, know that rye grows rapidly in the spring and become difficult to
turn under. So, stay with the season, remaining attached with the land over the
course of all seasons.
How to turn it under: If the top of the cereal rye is too
heavy and long to turn under easily, cut and remove most of the top growth.
Then use a shovel or garden fork to turn the cover crop under to a depth of 3-6
inches.
Back to planting the seed's with the team! I was able to plant three rows (6, 4, 4) of cucumber seeds. Trying to fit in as many rows of seeds as I could, I felt like nature's jazz artist. Since we all were planting seeds and figuring out the best place regarding sunlight and neighbors, we all were artists in action. But, the collaborative music was on mute, which Courtney described as unknowingly scary, yet magical.
If you would like to create your own garden this summer, but
feel that you don’t have the land, check out this website. Don’t let
agriculture be confined to massive farmland! Make your own land. Make your own produce. You’ll save
a couple bucks too. http://www.technologyforthepoor.com/UrbanAgriculture/Garden.htm
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