Our odd weather patterns this year has driven me to re-think some things. Some questions I'm asking: How do I better protect my soil? Are there ways to better utilize the space I have to reduce water needs? What hardscaping do I need to do for next year? Checking out pots and items soon to be on clearance; what would be helpful?
Another raised bed needs to be built to take advantage of some shade! Rain barrels and gutters to catch some of this precious water. Creating some type of cover for some of my beds. Using more vertical planting and studying permaculture. Finally, planting cover crops and rotating them.
After reading, "Grow Cover Crops For the Best Garden Soil" by Harvey Ussery in the Mother Earth News Spring 2012, I'm ready. He says, "Consider cover crops your most important crops, because the requirements for abundant food crops-building soil fertility, improving soil texture, suppressing weeds, and inhibiting disease and crop damaging insects-can be best met by the abundant use of cover crops, season after season."
"I know this," I say to myself shaking my head. Growing up with a rich heritage of conservation on a ranch/farm and remembering tilling up the alfalfa to plant for wheat and planting alfalfa into the old wheat fields. I even studied this cycle of regeneration.
So why have I not considered alfalfa and other clovers and cover crops before?
So I dug up a random clover plant in the ditch and took it home placing it into my worn out lettuce soil. Next step is stopping by the seed store to pick up some cow and field peas, buckwheat to plant now and winter peas and oats to plant closer to fall.
Today's forcast...108. This week looks to be all over 100. We were blessed with some rain last night but our dry soil needs a good soaking.
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