You might have seen the beautiful cover crop growing on the field beside the farmstand. The combination of oats, peas, crimson clover, and turnip was planted last fall. It protected the soil through the winter and spring, preventing erosion, and adding organic matter and nitrogen to the soil.
We’ll turn the cover crop under soon and plant a fall crop of red cabbage.
Cover cropping is supported by a longstanding Natural Resource Conservation Service program. We plant about 125 acres of Harlow Farm to cover crops each year.
We also participate in the NRCS’ Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Through CREP, we’ve planted a variety of native trees and shrubs to stabilize erosion-prone banks of the Connecticut River.
