Spring is here and the buds have exploded into rapidly growing shoots. The vineyards have come alive and transformed the landscape of barren dormant sticks into lush green rows. As the vines return to center stage, an often forgotten player moves to the back -- the Cover Crop. That's right, the stuff that grows between the vines.

The cover crop plays a key role in any sustainable farming program. A mix of Barley, Clover and Sweet Peas serve as our cover crop.  They are planted just after harvest, in autumn, and provide a lush green carpet until the rains subside in late spring.

The cover crop is not just there for looks though. Consider a few of the benefits. 

Free Fertilizer
Most plants rely on and consume nitrogen from the soil. This nitrogen, in mineral form, needs to be replenished. Large scale industrial agriculture uses synthetic nitrogen, produced from fossil fuel, to provide this replenishment. 75% of the air we breathe is nitrogen.  But this nitrogen in gas form is inaccessible to plants.

Well the 2008 Harvest/Crush is winding down. We just pressed off the last lot of Merlot.

In the vineyard, the leaves have changed colors -- from green, to yellow, to orange and finally to brown. With each new wind, they are finding their way to the ground. The vines are going to bed (dormant) for the winter.

Before their winter rest though, we're giving them a big drink of water and planting a cover crop of barley and peas. The cover crop will prevent erosion, provide nutrients for next year's crop, and give the sheep something to "mow" over the winter.