Author Topic: cover crop instead of plastic weed barrier?  (Read 826 times)

sifuz

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cover crop instead of plastic weed barrier?
« on: April 03, 2021, 12:04:53 am »
has anyone used a cover crop like red clover as a nitrogen fixer in an earthbox instead of the black plastic weed/moisture barrier?

Mary-Alice

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Re: cover crop instead of plastic weed barrier?
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2021, 12:34:00 pm »
I have not. I am new to using an EarthBox. I have grown vegys in other containers though.
I think the cover crop might be adding competition for the limited resources within the container.

It is my understanding that clover and such planted in garden or field soil help to trap nitrogen that would not be available to other plants, and then the cover crop is tilled into the soil to then get the captured nitrogen released so that the next crop can hopefully benefit from it. Potting mixes and container growing is very different than growing directly in the earth. I will keep an eye on this tread to see what others have to say....