The questions and phone calls about spring crops have begun rolling in. Across most of our North Country region, our fields and soils are much drier than normal for early April, mainly due to the lingering of the 2020 drought and our lack of early spring precipitation. Fields are dry enough to spread manure, lime, and fertilizers now. Should we take advantage of these very appealing field conditions and begin planting crops now? What are the risks?
Small grains
Now is a great time to plant small grains, such as oats, spring barley, or wheat, if your fields are dry enough for field traffic and preparation. Spring cereals can tolerate some cold weather and snow if that’s in the forecast. Standard recommendations are to set your drill to a depth of 1-1.5″. Planting in cool conditions may be a rationale for the shallower end of that range, but they should be fine at 1.5″ as well.
See more details in the Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crop Management, or the Cornell Field Crops website – https://fieldcrops.cals.cornell.edu/small-grains/planting-techniques/.
Perennial cool-season grasses and legumes
I’ve been telling folks that it’s not too early to seed perennial forage stands this year. These species can tolerate some cold weather and they may compete even better against warmer season weeds if planted early. Seeding down now may allow seedlings to take advantage of the available soil moisture too. A successful early planting should result in vigorous growth and development, a good start, before the warmer and drier weather sets in. A good start should also produce a better first year yield. Plant as soon as a good seedbed can be prepared. The window of opportunity for planting spring seedings is closed on about May 15.
Consult the Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crops for more details. Some aspects are summarized here: https://fieldcrops.cals.cornell.edu/forages/planting-perennial-legumes-and-grasses/.