[...] cover crops are left to grow and then mowed down or turned into the soil before the desired crop is planted.
Earlier, the book mentioned the benefits of soil that has not been disturbed. Is there a way to turn cover crops into the soil without tilling or otherwise disturbing the topsoil? Chop them down and add compost for example?
@tofuwabohu I’m not aware of this book but in the context of cropping, direct seed drilling leaves the cover crop residue on the ground and places the seeds through it.
https://www.vaderstad.com/uk/know-how/tillage-practices/direct-drilling/
@alpinefolk@sunbeam.city thank you!
@tofuwabohu no problem
@tofuwabohu By definition, turning the cover crops into the soil is going to require disturbing the topsoil. What I've done is to chop and drop the cover plants, then treat them as mulch, pushing it aside to reach the soil for planting seedlings. I've also done throw and grow, where I scattered my seeds on fertile soil, then did the chop and drop for the cover to mulch over the newly cast seeds and protect them from birds. Both methods gave good results. Have you read One Straw Revolution?
@WanderingBeekeeper@wandering.shop sounds very reasonable, thanks! I haven't, is it good?
@tofuwabohu Really useful stuff. Fukuoka did a longitudinal study comparing his redevelopment of Japanese ancestral farming technique to modern farming and outproduced the college fields consistently. He also goes into great detail about technique, such as using powdered clay to pelletize seed and keep it from being eaten after sowing.
