Farm Seed Library

Take a closer look at beneficial insects, including some of the helpful roles of pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests. Includes a 5-step summary of how to establish a flowering insectary in your garden or on your farm, and a list of further reading, with links, for the curious.

Plant buckwheat for a quick, easy, warm-season weed-control cover crop. It additionally serves as an insectary plant, and as a good interim set-up crop between spring and fall plantings. Here are some tips for getting a buckwheat crop up and growing, ahead of the weeds.

"Which cover crop should I plant?.. Where and when do I plant it?.. When and how should it be terminated?.. What do I put in there next?" Here's help with a 5-step decision-making process from Jason Lilley, our local Cooperative Extension Sustainable Agriculture Professional, and Johnny's Selected Seeds.

This page on Farm Seed & Cover Crop Uses highlights the top 10 applications and benefits of incorporating this crop line into your system, from growing your own inputs and forage to attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Key primary uses include Green Manures, Erosion Control, Nitrogen Fixation, Compaction Control, Weed Suppression, Pest Management, Forage, Biomass, and Beneficial Insect Support.

Learn about the advantages of using farm seed and cover crops in rotation to protect your fields from soil erosion, add nutrition with green manures, improve tilth, and attract and sustain beneficial insects. Topics include nitrogen-fixing crops, farmscaping for erosion control, how to install insectary plantings, steps for developing a cover-crop rotational plan, seasonal cover-cropping, and more, including growing hay and grass-legume combinations.

An overview of insectary planting options and recommendations for attracting and sustaining a range of beneficial insects on your farmscape or garden beds, with examples and descriptions of useful cover crops, grasses and grains, flowers and herbs, vegetables, trees, and shrubs that provide food and habitat for ecosystem service organisms.

Learn about the advantages of using cover crops, investing in your gardens and fields to reap future dividends of healthier, more productive cash crops.

An overview of the functions and strategies of farmscaping for biological control, with additional resources for planning and funding, from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

An introduction to the primary benefits of using a variety of grass–legume combinations for multispecies cover-cropping on your farm.

A quick read on growing hay, with points in favor of growing your own hay versus drawbacks, with recommendations from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Create a sustainable farm seed plan with tips on increasing your self-reliance, from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

In many climates and zones, winter is a good time to grow cover crops, to improve the soil tilth, prevent erosion, and provide forage for wildlife and domesticated animals. Here are some options and recommendations on winter cover crops, from Johnny's Selected Seeds.