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Using feed store oats as a cover crop - it works!

Kyle Putnam

This fall, we did some last minute landscape preparation. We brought in multiple dump truck loads of screened topsoil for a lawn and to start building beds for landscaping. The problem is, we weren't ready to plant. The challenge is the rain. I did not want to be trying to build beds mid-winter when the soil is saturated and using a tractor would make a giant mess. But I also didn't want to be leaving beds exposed to the rain, resulting in nutrient leaching, erosion, and spring weeds.

Oat grass growing in a landscape bed located in the middle of a driveway roundabout
Fall-sown oats busy building soil while we finalize our landscape plans.

I wanted to put in a cover crop but buying cover crop seed in bulk is expensive! The shipping of a fifty-pound bag often costs more than the seed. I had always wondered how well feed store whole oats would germinate and decided to give it a go. The worst thing that would happen would be to waste a few bucks and feed the crows. So, for what was probably a $25 dollar investement in a 50 pound bag of oats, I gave it a go. It was a little late in the year to start this but I have had decent results getting oats going in cold temperatures before, so I took the risk and threw a bit down. It paid off. The seed germinated so well that I went and added more. The second sowing has technically germinated but may or may not take off now that we are into the depths of fall.


As far as cover crops go, oats might not offer maximum benefits. They don't produce as much biomass as other crops and they don't fix nitrogen. What they are is easy and offer many functions. They germinate well and will quickly fill in a space. The fibrous roots stabilize the soil and can form relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizae. They will winter kill in colder climates but are also relatively easy to kill by hand. The oat grass is welcome chicken fodder while my girls are in their coop and run for the winter. The oat grass can also be dried and used for a mineral-rich tea or added to bone broth while it cooks. The seed heads can be harvested in the milky stage to make nervous system-soothing tinctures.


So, while we wait to finalize our landscaping plans, the oats are preventing erosion and nutrient leaching, building biomass above and below grown, feeding soil microbes, and can be used for chicken feed and herbal teas. I imagine the germination rate on oats intended for feed is probably variable but, it was so relatively affordable, it was worth the risk.





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