Arable growers with uncropped bare soil are being encouraged to use a summer legume mix cover crop to protect their soils from summer thunderstorms, fix nitrogen and give a good entry for autumn-drilled crops.

Experts say growers who failed to drill a spring crop because of wet weather should think about getting growing roots in the soil, and this need not be at a high price and can still do a good job for the soil over the summer.

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Jim Egan, sustainable farming adviser at cover crops specialist Kings Crops, owned by agronomy group Frontier, says now is the ideal time to cover bare soil with a summer cover crop to help protect the ground.

“Growers need to get living roots in the soil, and get good ground cover to protect their soils from summer rainstorms at a price which need not cost the earth,” he tells Farmers Weekly.

He suggests a summer legume mix of buckwheat, crimson clover, linseed, red clover,  serradella and phacelia which could cost about £37/ha in seed terms.

This mix is brassica free so can be used before oilseed rape, can potentially fix 50-60kg/ha of nitrogen over three-to-four months and gives a diverse rooting structure to enhance soil, he says.

In addition, it will reduce potential soil erosion, produce a visually attractive crop and is a good pollen and nectar mix to attract pollinator insects in the late summer.

For cover crops drilled after harvest, Jim suggests the cut-off date for drilling should be September 15, and these crops – priced at £25-£60/ha in seed terms – could be important this year to repair soils after a very wet winter and spring.

The mix can be chosen to meet different situations, with radish picked to give good nutrient uptake, phacelia to help give good surface tilth and linseed for deep rooting.

The benefits of the cover crop will be seen in the improvement in soil structure which will make it easier to drill a spring crop, he adds.

Jim Egan was speaking at a session called “Cover cropping – successes and failures” – at the two-day Groundswell 2024 event at Lannock Manor Farm, near Baldock, in Hertfordshire focusing on regenerative farming systems on June 26 and 27.