Catch crop
Encyclopedia
In agriculture
, a catch crop is a fast-growing crop
that is grown simultaneously with, or between successive plantings of a main crop.
For example, radish
es that mature from seed
in 25–30 days can be grown between rows of most vegetable
s, and harvest
ed long before the main crop matures. Or, a catch crop can be planted between the spring harvest and fall
planting of some crops.
Catch cropping is a type of succession planting
. It makes more efficient use of growing space.
Catch crops are also crops that are sown to prevent minerals being flushed away from the soil.
By using catch crops, such as grain (millet
, ...) one can keep certain minerals not attached to the humous-clay connection (such as carbon (C) and other positively charged elements) in the soil for (many) years.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, a catch crop is a fast-growing crop
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
that is grown simultaneously with, or between successive plantings of a main crop.
For example, radish
Radish
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
es that mature from seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
in 25–30 days can be grown between rows of most vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s, and harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
ed long before the main crop matures. Or, a catch crop can be planted between the spring harvest and fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
planting of some crops.
Catch cropping is a type of succession planting
Succession planting
In agriculture, succession planting refers to several planting methods that increase crop availability during a growing season by making efficient use of space and timing.There are four basic approaches, that can also be combined:...
. It makes more efficient use of growing space.
Catch crops are also crops that are sown to prevent minerals being flushed away from the soil.
By using catch crops, such as grain (millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, ...) one can keep certain minerals not attached to the humous-clay connection (such as carbon (C) and other positively charged elements) in the soil for (many) years.