Re: nurse crops

**G*@aol.com**

When I was a kid growing up on an irrigated farm in Idaho, it was always  
customary to use a nurse crop with alfalfa. We would sow a grain crop, wheat, 
 barley, oats, along with alfalfa. The old grain drills were made to take 
both  seeds, the nurse crop in one container, the main, next  year crop in  
another--grain drills were made with two hoppers for that purpose. The grain  
crop would grow and be harvested, the other crop, alfalfa, or whatever, 
would  come along more slowly, but would winter over and make a hay crop the 
next year.  It's a common practice in farming, less so in horticulture, but it 
does have  some application in hort.

Jerry

Gerald Burke

In a message dated 7/4/2013 6:04:37 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
thehoosiergardener@gmail.com writes:

Can  anyone please explain to me about a nurse crop...such as oat as a 
nurse crop  for legumes...the purpose of a nurse crop is what? and what does 
planting oat  have to do with planting legumes?

Thank  you.

jems

_____________________
Jo Ellen Meyers  Sharp
Director, Garden Writers  Association
thehoosiergardener@gmail.com
www.hoosiergardener.com
Co-author,  The Indiana Gardener's Guide
Author, The Visitor's Guide to American  Gardens
Great Garden  Speakers

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