Cover Crops for Vegetable Growers
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Early summer
Mid and
late summer
Late summer
legumes
Early fall
Fall
Early spring
Cover crop information
Buckwheat
Annual
ryegrass
Oats
Wheat (includes
spelt, triticale)
Rye
Sudangrass
Reed Canarygrass
Arugula
Mustard, spring
Mustard, fall
Forage
Radish
Forage Turnips
Red
clover
Hairy Vetch
Field Peas
White
Clover
Forage Radish Click to download printable PDF
file
Forage radish is a fall-seeded Brassica that is not winter hardy. This crop forms thick white
tap roots that can reach lengths of 8 to 14 inches, most of which is
underground. Radishes are excellent at breaking up shallow layers of
compacted soils, earning them the nickname “biodrills” or “tillage
radishes.” A thinner extension of the tap root can penetrate deeper
layers of compaction. The roots die over the winter and leave channels
so that the soil dries and warms up faster in the spring.
Land
preparation
Smooth seed bed, well drained but with adequate moisture.
Seeding rate
10 lb/acre (drilled in good conditions) to 13 lb/ac (broadcast or drilled in challenging conditions)
Drilling
gives a much better stand, so broadcasting should be reserved for when
the soil is too wet to drill. After seeding roll the ground to improve
seed to soil contact but not to break up soil aggregates.
Depth 1/4-1/2 in.
Can be planted with 40 lb/ac wheat for spring cover and weed suppression.
Seeding date
Four to 10 weeks before frost. (Late August- September)
Seed Source
Lancaster Agricultural Supply (as Cedar Meadow Forage Radish), Steve Groff Seeds.
Maintenance
Little maintenance required.
Control
None; they winter kill.
Tips
Biodrills give less ground cover in the fall than mustard, rape or turnip but have comparable biomass.
Do not use in rotations with brassica vegetable crops.
Problems
Radishes are magnets for flea beetles, but less so in the fall.
