Using a Winter Cover Crop of Rye and Hairy Vetch for Soil Conservation and Weed Control in a Mixed Vegetable System

Project Overview

FNE02-442
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2002: $2,096.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2004
Region: Northeast
State: Pennsylvania
Project Leader:
Matt Steiman
Wilson College

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Agronomic: rye
  • Fruits: melons
  • Vegetables: tomatoes

Practices

  • Crop Production: conservation tillage
  • Pest Management: allelopathy, mulches - killed, mulching - vegetative
  • Production Systems: general crop production
  • Soil Management: green manures, organic matter

    Proposal summary:

    This demonstration project will evaluate the effectiveness of a fall-planted vetch and rye mixture as a mowed-down mulch for summer vegetables. Winter squash, melons, and tomatoes will be planted into the killed, unincorporated cover crop, and the yield, quality, and weed-control results will be compared to a control plot. A slide show will be prepared and presented at a grower meeting, and interpretive signs about the project will be posted for the students and visitors who come to this educational farm.
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.