Farm Seed at a Glance

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ID Crop Name and Planting Time Seeding Rate per 1000 sq ft (#)3 Seeding Rate per Acre (#) pH range Nitrogen Fixed per Acre (#)4 Biomass per Acre (tons)5 Uses
8001 Alfalfa
8+ weeks before first frost
0.5 15-25 6.5-7 250 1-2 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, hay (perennial)
8004 B&B Summer Mix
Early Summer
2 75 6-7.5 low 2-2.5 organic matter, weed control
8006 Barley, Hulless
Spring, soil at least 55°
3 100-125 6-7.5 4.4 organic matter, weed control, food, nitrogen scavenger, feed, straw, hay (annual)
8007 Barley
Spring, soil at least 55°
3 100-125 6-7.5 4.4 organic matter, weed control, food, nitrogen scavenger, feed, straw, hay (annual)
8011 Bell Beans
Spring or Fall
5 150-200 6-7 high medium nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, food, feed
8013 BMR Sorghum/Sudangrass
Soil over 60°
2 40-80 6-7.5 2-2.5 organic matter, weed control, nitrogen scavenger, erosion control, silage, pasture (annual)
8019 Buckwheat, Common
80-90 days before first frost (for crop), last frost to 4 weeks before first frost (for cover)
1-3 40-120 6-6.5 bees, weed control, food, phosphorus scavenger
8020 Winter Camelina
2 wks before to 2 wks after first frost
0.25 5-10 5.6-6.5 bees, food, feed, scavenger
8022 Forage Chicory
Soil over 55°
0.25 10 5.5-7.5 pasture (perennial)
8025 Crimson Clover
Soil over 65°
1.5 25-50 5-8 100 1.25-1.5 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, weed control, hay (annual), pasture (annual)
8028 Freedom Red Clover
Soil over 50°
0.5 15-20 6-7.5 100 2-3 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8031 Mammoth Red Clover
Soil over 50°
0.5 15-20 6-7.5 100 2-3 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8034 Medium Red Clover
Soil over 50°
0.5 15-20 6-7.5 100 2-3 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8037 Alice White Clover
late winter to first frost
0.25 4-5 6.5-7.5 yes nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, pasture (perennial)
8040 Dutch White Clover
late winter to first frost
0.5 10-15 6.5-7.5 yes little nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, lawn
8041 Ladino White Clover
late winter to first frost
0.25 4-5 6.5-7.5 medium medium nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, erosion control, silage, hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8043 Rivendell White Clover
late winter to first frost
0.25 5-10 6.5-7.5 100 little nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees, erosion control, pasture (perennial)
8046 Yellow Sweet Clover
Spring & Summer
0.5 15-20 6-8 200 3.75 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, bees
8060 NOFA Cover Crop Cocktail
Mid Summer to first frost
1-2 50-75 5.5-7.5 medium high organic matter, weed control, scavenger
8061 Grass Seed: CR Lawn Mix
last frost to Midsummer
3-4 100-150 6-7 lawn
8064 Millet, Japanese
2 wks before last frost, to Midsummer
1 40-60 5.5-6 2 organic matter, weed control, silage, scavenger, hay (annual), pasture (annual)
8070 Mustard
last frost to first frost
1 15-25 5.5-8.3 5 bees, pest control, scavenger
8076 Forage Oats
Soil over 50°, Spring to first frost
3 100 5-6.5 1.5-4.5 organic matter, weed control, feed, straw
8079 Goliath Forage Oats
Soil over 50°, Spring to first frost
3 100 5-6.5 1.5-4.5 organic matter, weed control, feed, straw
8082 Streaker Hulless Oats
Soil over 50°, Spring
3 100 5-6.5 1.5-4.5 organic matter, weed control, food, feed, straw
8085 Common Oats
Soil over 50°, Spring to first frost
3-4 100-150 5-6.5 1.5-4.5 organic matter, weed control, feed, straw
8088 Orchard Grass
Mid Spring to Late Summer
1 20-40 5.8-7.5 1-2.5 hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8094 Pasture Mix
Mid Spring to Late Summer
1 40-50 6-7 yes pasture (perennial)
8097 Peas, Field
Spring, soil over 45°
5 100-200 6-7 150 2.5 nitrogen-fixing, weed control, silage, hay (annual), pasture (annual)
8103 PVO Soil-Building Seed Mix
Mid Spring to Late Summer
5 150-200 6-7 150 4 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, weed control
8105 Deep-rooted Daikon Radish
late summer to first frost
0.5 8-15 6-7.5 5 erosion control, feed, scavenger
8109 Rye, Winter
first frost to two weeks after first frost
3-5 100-200 5-7 2 organic matter, weed control, food, erosion control, straw, scavenger, pasture (annual)
8112 Hairy Vetch/Winter Rye Mix
first frost
2-3 80-100 6-7 50 1.5-2 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, weed control
8121 Ryegrass, Annual
Soil over 50°
1-2 25-35 6-7 1.6-2 organic matter, weed control, nitrogen scavenger, erosion control, pasture (annual)
8124 Ryegrass, Perennial
2 weeks before last frost, to first frost
1-2 30-60 5.2-8 weed control, nitrogen scavenger, pasture (perennial)
8133 Sunn Hemp
Soil over 60°, before 8/15
1-2 30-50 5-7.5 100 2.5 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter, pest control
8136 Timothy
4-6 weeks before first frost
0.5 12-15 5.5-7 hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)
8139 Vetch, Hairy
Mid Spring to early fall
1 25-40 6-7 100 1.5-2 nitrogen-fixing, organic matter
8143 Glenn Spring Wheat
Soil over 50°
3-4 100-125 6-7 medium organic matter, food, straw
8148 Medina Winter Wheat
2 weeks before first frost to first frost
3-4 100-125 6-7 organic matter, weed control, food, feed, straw
8150 Sirvinta Winter Wheat
2 weeks before first frost to first frost
3 100-125 6-7 organic matter, weed control, food, straw, pasture (annual)
8154 Fescue, Tall
mid spring or early fall
0.5 15-20 5.8-6.5 high organic matter, erosion control, lawn, silage, feed, hay (perennial), pasture (perennial)

Key

Best Uses:
  • bees: provides bee forage for honey production
  • feed: produces a grain or bean suitable for animal consumption
  • food: produces a grain or bean suitable for human consumption
  • erosion control: roots hold soil well
  • hay: maintains nutritional quality when dried
  • lawn: suitable for heavy traffic areas, withstands mowing
  • N-fix: green manure fixes nitrogen, available to subsequent crops when tilled into soil
  • organic matter: soil builder green manure, produces biomass and improves soil structure
  • pasture: superior nutrition and yield, withstands grazing
  • pest control: reduces insect, disease, or nematode pressure
  • scavenger: quickly takes up nutrients from soil, preventing their loss to erosion or leaching
  • weed control: physically out-competes or chemically inhibits weeds

3Seeding rates are based on drilled seed in organically managed fields. Seeding rates vary depending on crop use, timeliness of planting, method of seeding, weed pressure, soil conditions, seed size, and whether the crop is planted alone or in a mix. If you need help figuring out what seeding rate to use, please give us a call.

  • For most seed, use the smaller amount in mixes and the larger amount solo.
  • For corn, use the smaller amount for grain and the larger amount for silage.
  • For broadcasting, increase 20-25%.
  • For use in precision planters, decrease 10-50%.
  • For late planting, increase 20-50%.
  • For forage or weed control uses, increase 30-50%.

4Nitrogen-fixing bacteria reside on the roots of legumes. Use inoculant to ensure populations. Y means yes, fixes N, but no info on quantity available. Some rhizobial bacteria form symbiotic relationships specifically with the roots of leguminous crops; these bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen (which is unavailable to plants) to ammonia and nitrates (which are available to plants). Legumes can often furnish nearly all of their own nitrogen needs this way—exactly how much depends on the species, the soil structure, and weather conditions. If the crop is removed from the field, the fixed nitrogen is removed as well, with little or no residual added nitrogen remaining in the soil; however, if the crop is turned in and incorporated into the soil, the fixed nitrogen is added to the soil and is available in slow-release forms to the following crop. Therefore, quantities of nitrogen fixed are listed only for those crops used as cover crops, and these quantities should not be interpreted as absolute numbers but as indications of a species’ relative efficiency at fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

5Biomass, or Organic Matter: Succulent biomass makes a rapid contribution to available soil nutrients. Fibrous biomass helps build humus, which improves soil texture and increases nutrient-holding capacity.