cover crops

the recent thaw uncovered my sample field off county line road so i went out to take some photos on new year's day...you can see it's pretty exposed and will continue to be so off and on until a crop is planted sometime in mid-spring (and then herbicides will keep a good portion of the field free of growth and exposed anyway)...i can't complain too much...i'm not doing that stellar a job of protecting against erosion on campus or at home either as the photos tell...so i need to think about a winter cover crop that will absorb the nitrogen left in the ground at the end of the season and will release it in the spring when it is turned under as well as develop roots systems that will hold the soil together...winter rye is one candidiate...but it decomposes slowly and needs to be turned under early or the spring planting won't feel the benefit (thanks 10cc)...winter wheat is another winter cover crop that can be turned under or left to grow until its harvest in june ( it's in the half barrel in the bottom photo and you can just catch on the top of the photo of the garden on campus)...it might make a good cover for a bed intended for late planting potatoes...harvest one crop and plant another....an idea i am planning on working with at home if not at iun...i have winter wheat growing at home and on campus as well...just not enough to act as a cover...and it wouldn't be a total cover anyway since i would have to leave the beds for the perennials ( chinese yams and jerusalem artichokes) uncovered since i wouldn't want to disturb them by turning a cover crop under and i don't want to provide them with competition ( although the yam roots are so deep i doubt winter wheat would deny them what they need...the jerusalem artichokes? well...nothing seems to inhibit them)...but it would be a step in the right direction...what i am aiming at eventually is a sort of permaculture ( that's what the perennial part is about) that will require a minimum of soil disturbance...mostly to harvest tubers...i am waiting for the land institute to make seeds for perennial strains of cereal grains commercially available so i can work them into the mix...until then i will start working with cover crops and continue to intercrop with "green manures" like cowpeas...i am learning as i go and may get to be more efficient at both gardening and thinking yet.

since the demise of one of my apple trees i have put more seeds in damp paper towels and baggies in an effort to germante more trees...nature is prolific because not everythint that starts survives...i'll use that idea in an effort to start an orchard in my yard.