winter rye or oats in spring

I have 2 plots at the farm that I have changed my mind on what to plant them in next year. I am going to plant brassica now. Unfortunately I didn’t know this in the fall so I did not overseed them with winter rye. That means I need to plant either winter rye or oats in them this spring. I tried spring planted winter rye last year and wasn’t real impressed with it. Took a while to get going then never got more than 12-18″ tall by the time it was brassica planting time. The spring planted oats that I did grew excellent and got 4′ plus tall. The only reason I am on the fence with this is that I don’t think oats have the allelopathic affects that rye does for weed suppression. Given the choice for a spring planting what would you do, winter rye or oats?

Without a doubt I would do oats

I would do oats as well. Cheaper and faster growing than rye.

Are you going to just disc the cover crop and plant directly into it without spraying?

I’m in the same boat, I really need to cover crop my brassicas section of one plot so the weeds don’t get so bad. Problem is that it’s been SOOOOOOOO hard to get into the plot and start working in the spring because it’s been too dang wet at my place. We didn’t turn a wheel last year until well into May. If that happens again, there’s hardly any point as my cover crop would be in the ground for just over a month. Hardly worth all the time and effort for that.

Whish I had a big 4WD tractor, but I don’t and I can’t afford to get my little old John Deere stuck or I’ll have a real mess on my hands.

Grouse

I am going to plant the cover crop as early as possible, then July 11th 2018 I will spread the brassica seed into the standing cover crop, then spread fertilizer into standing cover crop, then cultipack, which will lay the cover crop down, then spray gly over the top. This method worked very well last year. No discing or tilling. Save some top soil and get a nice weed/moisture mat on top the seeds.

sticker wrote:

am going to plant the cover crop as early as possible, then July 11th 2018 I will spread the brassica seed…

I’m sorry, but it’s going to be raining hard that day… And for the whole week before and after.

Or at least it will if you’ve got my luck.

This year I’m planning on being ready to plant the last week in June. If the weather is good, I’m rolling. Last year I was 10 days later than I wanted to be due to work and weather issues, which is time the plants can’t make up way up here in the tundra.

Grouse

sticker wrote:

then July 11th 2018 I will spread the brassica seed into the standing cover crop, then spread fertilizer into standing cover crop.

What are you using for fertilizer on the brassicas ?
I like your plan! I’ll be trying that method next year.

Grouse, I think your spot on for the rain.

haleysgold wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sticker wrote:</div>
then July 11th 2018 I will spread the brassica seed into the standing cover crop, then spread fertilizer into standing cover crop.

What are you using for fertilizer on the brassicas ?
I like your plan! I’ll be trying that method next year.

Urea (46-0-0) at 100 to 150lbs per acre. Brassica is like corn, it loves nitrogen.

That’s the beauty of this method Grouse, no tilling so it doesn’t matter if it rains. Plus I am on high sandy ground, not bog swamp land like you, so we welcome the rain

Curious if any of you seed brassicas and clover together? I believe clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil so that would help your brassicas, right? Or would the clover outperform in the beginning, thus slowing the growth of the brassicas?

Jake,
I have a 30′ wide “ring” of clover around my brassicas. I’ve noticed the clover creeping in and choking everything else out

I did plant clover with brassica one year, basically used the brassica as a cover crop and it worked well. The clover came back great the next year, but then I really didn’t have a way to kill off the volunteer brassica the next spring without hurting the clover.