Growing cover crops so that they provide enough residue to suppress weeds for organic vegetable production requires planning!

 

In this photo you can see millet on the left and sorghum-sudangrass on the right as examples of potentially high residue crops that require most of a growing season to produce enough residue to control weeds for a entire production season the next year, and winter-kill.

 

If planted early enough (i.e. July 1st or before) they can be mowed high to avoid the growing point (i.e. 6″)  and they will regrow and produce even more biomass. Both cover crops in this photo were planted on July 7, 2020 in preparation for growing organic vegetables as part of EFAO’s No-Till Vegetable Trials in 2021.