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It is time to start planting cover crops. And what are they doing in the “breadbasket” of the US? Planting Radishes! According to an article in the LaCrosse Tribune, “With taproots that can grow several feet deep, the carrot-shaped tillage or forage radishes bore holes into the ground, loosening the soil. The radishes capture, store and then release nutrients back into the soil, so they also can reduce the need for fertilizer in the spring.”

It has been found that radishes are good for the soil. Farmers who till, do not need to till so deeply into the soil.  And especially for the more eco-conscious “no-till” farmers, they are using radishes to enrich the soil, retain moisture, and reduce erosion.

According to Andy Clark, an agronomist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “the radishes appear to break up compacted soil, keep weeds under control, and release nutrients”.

In Greensboro, NC, Ray Styer is planting 30 acres of radishes this year.  He grows corn and oats, and says that planting radishes is “like nature’s aerator and it relieves a lot of compaction.” He started planting radishes as a cover crop about five years ago.  And besides naturally aerating the soil in his fields, he also has been saving money on fertilizers. Artificial fertilizers remain a high cost item for farmers, and as oil prices rise, so do artificial fertilizer costs.

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