In this Q&A, Geoff explains why a new swale should be protected with fast-growing cover crops, then transitioned into perennial ground covers as the tree system matures.
This video is taken from Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course, which includes weekly Q&A sessions where he answers student questions. Learn more about Geoff’s courses at: https://www.discoverpermaculture.com
Key Takeaways:
00:00:04: Zach asks whether a new swale trench should be covered with a crop. Geoff says yes: establish a fast annual cover immediately to hold soil and reduce erosion. 00:00:32: Leguminous agricultural seed crops can add nitrogen, build root structure, produce mulch, reduce evaporation and help the system start functioning. 00:01:22: As trees establish, transition from annual cover crops to perennial covers such as pinto peanut or Singapore daisy, which will eventually be shaded by canopy. 00:01:56: A swale is primarily a tree-growing system, so the ideal sequence is annual cover, perennial cover, then tree-dominated stability.
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Video Summary
AI Generated
The video explains the best practices for planting cover crops in a newly installed swale. The speaker recommends immediately planting fast-growing annuals to prevent erosion and improve soil health, eventually transitioning to perennial ground covers as the primary tree canopy develops and takes over the system.
Zach here wants to know,
when we first install a swale,
should we immediately cover crop the trench?
Is there a downside to burying the swale
in a cover crop entirely?
No, no, there's no downside.
The idea is you cover it with a cover crop
that's annual and fast,
so you control all the topsoil
and hold it stable so there's very little erosion,
and then you convert it to a perennial cover crop like this
as you get the trees to grow over the top.
So you use a fast-growing,
usually an agricultural seed cover crop,
that's so you get it cheaper.
You can usually get a legume,
like a vetch or a cowpea or something like that,
and it can usually come with an inoculum
that you can add to the seed,
so guarantee it's going to fix nitrogen,
it's going to help structure the soil with its roots,
it's going to add nitrogen,
it's going to add high-quality mulch,
and it's going to stabilize the ground,
reduce evaporation,
and make sure that the system starts to function.
Now the idea is then to transition to a perennial.
Here I'm in amongst a perennial ground cover peanut.
This is pinto peanut,
and over under the food forest here
we've got Singapore daisy,
and they're all perennial ground covers,
and they're all going to be shaded out,
and some of the Singapore daisy
is already getting shaded out by the tree cover.
So later on, this gets taken over by the root zone.
Now this is an important part of establishing a swale,
because it is, the definitive swale
is a tree-growing system.
So you go from dominating the whole area
with annual cover crop, perennial cover crop,
and then trees that then control that ground cover.
And that's a wonderful thing.
That's a great way to go about establishing the system.
