Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Secrets to Starting Cover Crop Seeds in Late October

Because I've been waiting for some amendments to come in I haven't tilled the pumpkin patch yet.  That will happen this Friday.  I want to get a cover crop started but the overnight lows have been borderline okay to get winter rye to germinate without getting frosted so the following is the trick I'm doing to help that along.  In a 5 gallon bucket I've put some sand, winter rye grass seed, humic acid and Azos.  That has been all mixed together.  I then added warm water to it and mix again.  That bucket will stay indoors for now to keep it warm and get the germination process going.  On Friday I will till the patch and after doing so I'm going to put down the sand/seed mixture, rake it in lightly and then put large, clear plastic sheets over it.  The plastic sheets will keep it a few degrees warmer and help keep the seeds wet.  With the indoor head start I'm hoping to have the seeds going before it gets really cold.

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