Page 33 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 compaction. Even if you have dogs or cats, there are several things that you can plant in the off-season, such as legume and grass mixes or oats, parsley, mustards, wheat/rye, and catnip. Rabbits eat an overabundance of alfalfa, so that might be a good choice if you have rabbits. Make sure you check with your vet about the proportion, kind, and frequency when adding or making Fido lunch with these rich substitutions. You will also want to do your research on when and how to harvest these cover crops. It wouldn’t make sense for you to plant a cover crop that you cannot harvest or use. Some choices might be more expensive on the back end because of additional equipment needed, and others might be fairly easy to harvest and use, so just be knowledgeable before you decide. Cover crops can feed wildlife. - Wildlife does not only include deer for the hunters, but it is an excellent food source for earthworms and insects that northern bobwhite quail and other birds look for. Some cover crops fix nitrogen in the soil. - Something that we all need and do not pay much attention to is nitrogen. Legume cover crops will add and supply nitrogen in the soil for next year’s production crop by letting the cover crop decay. Other cover crops scavenge for existing nitrogen in the soil. - In addition to fixing the nitrogen in the soil, if planning deep-rooting cover crops gather nitrogen from deep in the soil and release this into the rooting zone as plants decay, which helps any future crops. Cover crops can reduce soil erosion. - Erosion is a valid concern with the everchanging weather patterns that are unknown nowadays. Covering the soil with a cover crop will help reduce both wind and water erosion. Cover crops recycle nutrients within the soil. - Whether planting acres upon acres or a small vegetable garden, all living plants are pivotal to the nutrient cycle. The biology of your soil is managed by living plants. A field with good soil biology will build a healthy ecosystem for years to come. Cover crops build organic matter. - Organic matter comes from living things, including plants and animals, which break down over time through microbial activity. This can include living, dead, decomposing plants or animals, as well as microorganisms. This organic matter is a major contributor to Continued --
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=