This is Sky Meadow's "lower field," a soon-to-be addition to their ongoing collection of gardens. It's in the process of being cover cropped, which is a way to enhance soil quality before starting a garden, maintain the soil during off-seasons, and build productive soil to control pests and disease. Here's a reader's digest version of cover crops: legumes such as rye, buckwheat, clover, crimson clover, and alfalfa are planted in a field for a period of time, and then tilled into the soil, where the stems and leaves are actually broken down, releasing nitrogen. (Although nitrogen is abundant in the air, plants can't convert nitrogen gas into a usable form). So cover cropping is not only a way to prevent erosion, but also establishes a durable, nutrient-filled soil.
Last fall, Miles planted winter rye as a cover crop to begin enhancing the soil quality. When the snow melted in the spring, he broke up the rye into the soil, and planted buckwheat and clover. The clover had just flowered (hence all of the yellow) upon my arrival.
Soon after it flowered, Miles quickly began to till the winter rye back into the soil. I helped get the big rocks out of the field, and he tilled again. Went scouring for rocks once more, and the result:
Then I went around the outskirts of the field and uprooted all of the leftover rye and buckwheat. Almost got stung by a swarm of bees (apparently they don't sting while they're pollinating...eeeeenteresting), hauled my collection into the wheelbarrow, and delivered it to the sheep pen.
Miles then planted more winter rye seeds for...well, the winter.
Hoorah, cover crops!
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