Look at that lush green cover crop doing a great job holding in the soil as the fall rains begin! Wood chips define and protect the path.
For links to my full restoration process, visit Restoring a Native Woodland Garden.
When soil is disturbed, it is vulnerable to erosion. Plus, the exposed soil is a hotbed for weeds because 1) weed seeds that were once buried have been unearthed, and 2) the bare soil is an ideal spot for weed seeds to germinate. To combat this, anywhere blackberry roots had been dug, I sowed various seeds that would serve as our cover crop.
All these plants were ones that would grow well over the fall/winter/spring months. Oats were selected because they germinate quickly and their roots would help prevent erosion during the wet winter months. Additionally, the cold winter kills oats, unlike other grasses that can become quite weedy. I sowed three different types of clover just for fun: Dutch White, Mammoth Red and Crimson. Clovers put nitrogen back into the soil and create a lot of wonderful biomass when chopped down in the spring, which adds additional nutrients to the soil. I also put down rapeseed, turnips, fava beans and radishes because I had those seeds leftover from using them as a cover crop in my forest garden the previous year.
It’s important to mention two things: 1) the birds went nuts for my seeds so I had to over-seed, and 2) turnips and radishes are robust plants that create great biomass but will self-sow widely if allowed to go to seed; and they are generally hard to kill. I knew this from growing them previously and was prepared to cut them back over and over in the spring.
“Organic matter is the food component of soil. Soil-dwelling fungi and bacteria work to break down organic matter. When these soil microorganisms eat organic matter, nutrients are released back into the soil in a form that is usable by plants. This process is called nutrient cycling. Nutrient cycling affects both the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The addition of organic matter builds soil structure, which increases water absorption and nutrient-holding capacity, buffers the soil pH, and improves aeration.”
I mixed my cover crop seeds all together and then spread by hand. I later added more and more clover since they birds kept feasting. My over seeding worked wonders; I was blessed with a lush cover crop.
We also put down about eight inches thick of arborist wood chips on our paths. In areas where we cleared but didn’t dig up blackberry roots (to limit the amount of soil disturbance), we put down more wood chips. Wood chips will help protect the soil from aerial weed seeds, suppress seeds in the ground and make it easier to address any new blackberry shoots that will inevitably come up over time. And they reduce evaporation and even absorb water, thereby helping plants to better survive our dry summers. As the wood chips break down over time, they’ll help feed soil fungi, provide nutrients that surrounding plants use, and help improve soil structure.
LEARN MORE: Washington State University
