Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook - 2022 - 30

summer cover crops that provide organic matter, control erosion,
and will enhance the natural biota of your soil.
Summer cover crops, such as sudangrass or sudex, seeded
at 20 to 40 pounds per acre are good green manure crops. Sunn
hemp and pearl millet also provide a good green manure. They
can be planted as early as field corn is planted requiring eight to
12 weeks of frost- free growth conditions. These crops should
be clipped, mowed, or disked to prevent seed development that
could lead to weed problems. Summer cover crops can be disked
and planted to wheat or rye in September or allowed to winterkill
and tilled-in the following spring. Soil test to determine
lime and fertilizer needs. For state specific recommendations for
planting dates, seeding dates and management for cover crops,
consult your local Extension office.
TYPES OF SUMMER COVER CROPS: SMALL GRAINS
SEEDING RATES AND DEPTHS
SORGHUM-SUDANGRASS: broadcast 50 to 60 lbs/A;
drill 45 to 50 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1½ in.)
SUDANGRASS: broadcast 40 to 50 lbs/A;
drill 35 to 40 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1 in.)
JAPANESE MILLET: broadcast 25 to 35 lbs/A;
drill 20 to 25 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1 in.)
GERMAN FOXTAIL MILLET: broadcast 30 to 40 lbs/A;
drill 25 to 30 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½-1 in.)
PEARL MILLET: broadcast 10-25 lbs/acre;
drill 5 to 15 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1 in.)
BUCKWHEAT: broadcast 50 to 100 lbs/A;
drill 30 to 90 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ in.)
TEFF: broadcast 30 to 40 lbs/A
TYPES OF SUMMER COVER CROPS: LEGUMES
SEEDING RATES AND DEPTHS
COWPEAS: broadcast 70 to 120 lbs/A drill 40 to 50 lbs/A
(seeding depth: 1- 1½ in.) (USDA Cowpea lines 1136, 1137 and
1138 are soft seeded [i.e., typically will not reseed as volunteers
the following season] and nematode resistant; each plant covers
100 sq ft)
SESBANIA: broadcast 25 to 40 lbs/A;
drill 20 to 25 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1 in.)
SOYBEAN: broadcast 80 to 100 lbs/A;
drill 60 to 80 lbs/A (seeding depth: 1- 1½ in.)
SUNN HEMP: broadcast 30 to 40 lbs/A;
drill 25 to 35 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1 in.)
drill 60 lbs/A for no-till or for vegetable transplants
VELVETBEAN: broadcast 30 to 40 lbs/A;
drill 25 to 35 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1½ in.)
LAB LAB: broadcast 50 to 60 lbs/A;
drill 40 to 45 lbs/A (seeding depth: ½ - 1½ in.)
Winter Cover Crops
Choosing a grass cover crop is a little easier than choosing a
legume. Rye, triticale, barley, wheat, oats, and ryegrass can be
planted in the fall; expect to harvest or plow under anywhere
30
from 1/2 ton to 4 tons of dry matter per acre. Soil test to
determine lime and fertilizer needs.
TYPES OF WINTER COVER CROPS: SMALL GRAINS
RYE: Rye is probably used more as a winter cover than any other
grain. Rye can be sown from late September through mid-November.
Most ryes will grow well in the fall (even late fall) and
in late winter/early spring. This makes rye a top choice for farmers
who have late-season vegetable crops with little time left
before winter to sow a cover. Spring growth provides excellent
biomass to turn under for use in early potatoes, Cole crops, etc.
Rye also provides a forage source for grazing animals and a straw
source if harvested before mature seeds are formed or after rye
seed harvest (typical seeding rate: 60-120 lbs/A).
BARLEY: Barley provides an excellent source of biomass in
the spring. It grows shorter than rye, will tiller, and potentially
produces as much straw/forage/plow-down as rye. Barley takes
longer to catch up with equivalent rye biomass in the spring, and
the possibility of winter kill will be greater with barley. Late fall
planting of barley will often result in winter kill. Plant in September
or early October for greatest survival (typical seeding
rate: 80-120 lbs/A broadcast; 60-110 lbs/A drilled).
WHEAT: Using wheat as a cover crop works well and provides
the additional option of a grain harvest. Wheat can be seeded late
September through mid-November. Wheat produces biomass
like barley but will be a week or two later. It can be grazed before
turning under or harvested for grain and the straw removed.
Problems may occur if the Hessian fly is abundant, so choose another
small grain in areas where Hessian fly is present. (typical
seeding rate: 60-120 lbs/A)
OATS: Oats can be managed to provide many options for the
cover crop and good late spring biomass. Seeding spring oats
during September or October provides a good cover crop that
will winter-kill in the colder areas but may overwinter in warmer
areas. It can be grazed, made into excellent hay, or the grain
harvested, and oat straw produced. Planting spring oats in the
early fall can provide good winter-killed mulch that could benefit
perennial vegetables or small fruits. Spring oats survive through
some milder winters; thus, herbicides may be necessary to kill
spring oats in perennial plantings (typical seeding rate: 80-120
lbs/A).
RYEGRASS: This grass has great potential use as a green manure
and as a forage/hay material, but ryegrass can potentially
become a difficult pest in some farm operations. In the mountain
region, rye grass grows slowly in the fall and provides only moderate
winter erosion protection, but in late spring it produces an
abundant supply of biomass. Grazing and spring hay from ryegrass
can be excellent, and a fine, extensive root system makes
it a great source for plow-down (typical seeding rate: 5-10 lbs/A
drilled; 15-30 lbs/A broadcast).
Italian ryegrass can be seeded and then bedder-disked for
bare ground or plasticulture. The remaining ryegrass will form a
mulch between the beds (typical seeding rate: 100 lbs/A).
2022 Vegetable Crop Handbook for Southeastern United States
Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook - 2022

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