Caring for the Land

Colchester practices good land stewardship in many ways. In addition to being pesticide-free which reduces ground and water contamination and using crop rotation, we are also using cover crops to replenish the vitamins and minerals that the veggies leech from the soil. Theresa has chosen to plant cow peas in some of our dormant fields this season to replace nitrogen. According to NCSU:

Cover crops are grown to protect and improve the soil, not to harvest. Cover crops have the potential to improve soil tilth, control erosion and weeds, and maintain soil organic matter. They can reduce compaction and increase water
infiltration which decreases leaching of nutrients. Cover crops retain and recycle plant nutrients (especially nitrogen) between crops, provide habitat for beneficial microorganisms, and increase plant diversity.http://www.ncsu.edu/sustainable/cover/cover.html

Practicing good land stewardship ensures that we will continue to be able to produce vegetables on the land year after year.