Try Cover Cropping!

Focus on Sustainability: Cover Cropping
Although we’re just beginning to propagate and plant for our u-pick and CSA programs, we’re also thinking about preparing for summer and early fall plantings of cover crops as part of our commitment to soil health and vitality.

There are three main ways to improve your soil health: grow cover crops, mulch the surface with biodegradable mulches, and/or dig in organic soil amendments (such as compost, grass clippings, rotted manure or wood chips).  At First Light Farm, we love planting cover crops for the green biomass they create as well as their ability to fix nitrogen into the soil.

During the summer, we love to use buckwheat as a cover crop. It’s fast growing (it can grow 2’ high in less than 30 days), chokes out invasive weeds like bindweed (which we have at our farm), and also attracts bees. They love the flowers! You can try planting buckwheat in your garden if you have a place where you’ve struggled to get ahead of noxious weeds.  Ask us if you’re interested in trying some buckwheat in your garden!  We’re here to help!
 -- Farmer Jane

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