Green Manure - Oats & vetch

I did oats & vetch in the new section of the garden as a green manure. The lady bugs sure seem to like it!

Vetch Blossoms

The oats support the vetch while its vining. The vetch is a legume so it fixes nitrogen. The oats add air and organic matter.

Using a scythe to cut and a fork to turn into the soil, mixing in compost and building a trellis for gourds . . . . soon the airless red clay dirt will be turned to dark crumbly earth (I hope!).

Oats and vetch are a great combo for clay soils.

Using a scythe eh? Guess you'll have to model those arm muscles for us.
I remember my uncle and cousins (in Europe) using a scythe to cut the hay. Needless to say they all looked great in tank tops. :)
Seriously though, did you have any difficulty getting a good blade selection for your scythe?

Bad mermaid! I only use the scythe a couple times a year for small areas - It's usually a bush hog or hay cutter http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2825001 for large areas so I can't claim any muscles from scything. However here are my skinny arms - no laughing. (I'm such a dork!)

The scythe I got from Lehmans - European Marugg Blade http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=190&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=scythe and an European wooden snath http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2264&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=scythe

They have American made, too if you prefer.

Jo,

Great information, great looking muscles also!!!!

Judy

There are no bad mermaids........only mischievious ones (swish, swish, tail flicking in the water).
Thanks for the photo. The scythe is doing you good. :D

So, did you already have experience in using a scythe when you ordered it? Did you have someone show you how to "operate" it or was it trial and error? My cousins could make it look effortless. I recall having quite a time with it until I learned how to correctly angle the blade on the cutting stroke. I'm curious as to how learn to use this classic farm tool in today's world.

I think my dad had one that he used for tall grass in ditches but I ordered a book from Lehman's: http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2382&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=2382 . It really is a great tool if you have the time. I think I better cut the rest of the oats down before the vetch goes to seed but it's so pretty, I hate to see it go. It sure makes the bees happy.

Jo,

On the way home from Corinth yesterday we stopped to take pictures of Roses for one of our DG friends. The ground between the roses was covered in white clover, I believe had been planted. I've never seen so many honey bees in my life.

Love the vech bloom, thanks for posting it.

Judy

I just got a supply of buckwheat from Johnny's Select Seeds. My friend in Tennessee did this, but I haven't tried it here in Alabama yet. the buckwheat has hollow stems so it takes air down into crusty hard-packed soil. I decided against vetch because it tends to come back here. Also, buckwheat has a fairly fast turnover rate. You can plant annual rye grass in the fall over the same space.

We did buck wheat one year and the bees love it. You can let it go to seed and turn it in again. Unlike vetch, clover & other legumes it doesn't add nitrogen, though. Like rye, most wheat and oats will winter over if you plant in the fall. You may want to check you local farmers co-op for a better deal on cover crops (and no shipping charges!).

Thanks for the link to Lehman's. I've been looking for a machete, and I notice they carry them. I've been planning to do vetch and a nurse - I'll probably give it a go this fall one row at a time. Next year I'm also going to plant other companions to attract more beneficials. I'm just learning - every year it gets better.

VegHappy- Lehman's is fun but be sure to check prices at the local hardware store, too. Doubt they carry a scythe but they may have a machete.

I'm getting ready to bale the winter wheat for chickens since I don't have the combine working.

http://www.drpower.com/prdSell.aspx?p2Name=Lawn&p1Name=LawnTools&Name=ItalianFarmersKnife&BC=0%3aHome%7c1%3aCatalog%7c2%3aLawn%7c3%3aLawnTools&LinkType=3

I like this Italian Farmers Knife better than a machete.

You can get a scythe and sharpening equipment for it at Johnny's Selected Seeds.

That looks good Gloria - and the price is right too. I could get that and pretend I've got a MACHETE hacking my way though the jungle..... (just kidding). Really it's just for tall weeds along the fenceline - I'm trying to rely a little less on gasoline equipment and a little more on my sweat.

Jozeeben - Didn't think to try my local feed and garden stores - will need to check that out too.

You can find a machette for a lot cheaper, especially if there are some Mexican markets near you. But the Italian farmers knife keeps a sharper edge, the hook is real handy for pulling stuff away from a wire fence, and it is just plain more versatile than a machette. It is really for grass and stalky stuff, not for woody brush, but then a machette is not that great on brush either. You need a brush hook or a bush axe for that job.

Gloria - Thanks for the Farmer's knife link, I ordered one for my dad and "Grampa's Weeder" too. Here's the oats drying out.

And cut down with the scythe:

jozeeben: How do you feel after scything that oat patch?