Hi Jesse,

I see no one has joined in this discussion. I also having been thinking about this problem and was interested to hear what ideas you have?

I only grow on a small scale and my rotation is designed so that carrots, parsnips, beets etc are sown into winter-killed cover crops. Sometimes they need to be helped to die in mild winters with some kind of tillage.

With late planted small seeds (planted end May or June) I first plant a cover crop of buckwheat, phacelia, mustard and other crops that are easily killed by low mowing. I use the mowings as “transfer” mulch elsewhere and plant the carrots between the cover crop rows. I have also considered sowing the carrots into/between the buckwheat, etc, and cutting the buckwheat as soon as the carrots germinate (probably only a reliable option if irrigation is possible).

OK that’s not strictly armor, but the roots are in the ground, holding it together, and providing nutrients for the coming crop, and the ground is only bare for a very short time.

What ideas do you have? I am very eager to hear them…