The Kansas Rural Center offers a series of guidebooks to help farmers who want to succeed in growing fruits and vegetables. The latest "Growing Over Cover: A Kansas Specialty Crop Grower’s Guide to Cover Crops" is now available for download on the KRC website, and a limited number of hard copies are available by contacting KRC.

Written by Jim French of the Kansas Rural Center, and Cary Rivard, Kim Oxley and Tom Buller, all of Kansas State University Extension, the 32-page guide details soil health principles and best choices for cover crops for specialty crop operations.

“Cover crops are not just for grain and livestock farms,” French says. “Adding cover crops to fruit and vegetable operations, from home and market gardens to commercial scale operations, provides multiple benefits that build soil health and fertility, provide weed control, and attract pollinators and beneficial insects.”

The guide includes planning tips for planting cover crops in Kansas, what cover crops to plant, and establishing and terminating cover crops. Profiles of three successful Kansas specialty crop growers from around the state round out the guide, along with a list of resources (books and articles) for more information.

Copies are available for free download on the KRC website. A limited number of hard copies are also available by contacting the Kansas Rural Center at 866-579-5469 or [email protected].

"Growing Over Cover" was prepared with funding from the Kansas Department of Agriculture through the USDA's Specialty Crop Grant Program, specifically Grant No. 16-SC-BGP-KS-044.

BY THE BOOK: The new guidebook includes advice on planting cover crops in Kansas, what cover crops to plant, and establishing and terminating cover crops.

The guide is the third in a series of specialty crop guides prepared by the Kansas Rural Center in collaboration with Kansas State University Extension. The first was "Growing Under Cover: A Guide to Polytunnel Options," which outlines the choices available for low and high tunnels, and how to select the right plastic tunnel or hoophouse option for you. The second guide is "Growing Under Cover: A Kansas Grower’s Guide," which provides basic management strategies for hoophouse or high tunnel production, as well as enterprise budgets for seven major specialty crops popular in hoophouses including tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens and root vegetables. All three guides are available on KRC’s website.

The Kansas Rural Center is a nonprofit research, education and advocacy organization promoting a sustainable agriculture and food system.

Source: Kansas Rural Center