By Farm Assistant Paige Taylor and Farm Manager Shanee Barner

Here at the Petaluma Bounty Community Farm, we seeded our cover crop in mid-November, just before the atmospheric river hit. Winter field preparation is a yearly farm ritual that can be done by many different approaches. At the Bounty Farm this year, we decided to cover crop some of our fields while silage tarping others. 

Cover cropping refers to the practice of broadcasting a seed mixture to cover the fields when food crops are not being grown. This year, we seeded a mix of bell beans and clover, which will provide numerous benefits to our fields over the winter months. Cover cropping improves soil health by reducing runoff during the rainy season, improves soil structure and water retention, and improves nutrient availability. Cover cropping also helps suppress unwanted weeds and improves the organic matter content in soil. 

Silage tarping refers to the practice of using large sheets of black plastic to cover sections of a field for an extended period of time. This practice is quite effective in weed suppression and in creating a stale seedbed before the next planting. The tarp creates a moist environment for weed seeds to germinate and soon thereafter die off due to lack of light. The tarp also creates an ideal ecosystem for worms and other beneficial insects and fungi to thrive, which in turn build up organic matter and improve soil structure. 

When you’re on the farm next time, make sure to check out the growth of our cover crop and see these other winter bed practices in action!