So whether you’re growing outdoor or indoor.
It makes sense to grow vetch between your plants.
Aphids and catterpillars only eat your cannabis because there’s nothing better around.
Give them the choice of vetch and they’ll feed on that instead.
The more diversity you create, the more habitat that comes wih it.
Give all living beings a space of their own and food, and there will be peace.
(Universal basic income anyone?)
Sow them at monthly intervals and let them create more beans, they will automatically turn into mulch as they die naturally, replanting themselves. Any excess you can chop & drop or trample once they start flowering. Then you’re releasing extra nitrogen into the soil (aka nitrogen fixing) as well as creating mulch which feeds and moisturises the soil. On top of that you’re effectively diverting insects away from your crops.
Three mayor benefits right there.
Also their flowers smell really nice!
Kinda like tulips almost.
So four benefits.
Feeds the bees and other pollinaters.
Number 5.
Getting rid of stuff is never a lasting solution and requires effort and resources.
The best solutions are the ones that require the least amount of effort.
Otherwise they are not solutions but extra work and a cost.
I am defiantly going to be planting some vetch as well as some lavender my next application. I got totally skunked with my cover crop this round, I think my straw was a little heavy at first.
So I really want to get some more/better diversity in there for next round.
Thanks for laying out the benefits @Rogue
How so? Did your covercrop sprout?
It may take a little longer with straw.
It may also make things more difficult for covercrops.
It helps with retaining moisture but covercrops do a better job, I’d prioritize them.
Effortlessness, remember. Who likes hauling straw bales around?
Straw or hay is something I’d only use outdoor when first starting a no-till bed, and only if it’s otherwise too dry for covercrop to grow.
It mostly has not sprouted or got choked out I think. A few made it, I have 3 or 4 decent young beans and some clover is now starting to come up.
Going to let the straw breakdown naturally now.
After emptying and refilling the bed I wanted to give the critters a nice place to get reestablished.
They are thriving now and breaking down the straw nicely. In a week or two if the cover doesn’t start popping more I’ll throw some more in now that the straw is breaking down.
Also I get the oyster straw and like the addition of that mycelium. With a 3x3foot bed I don’t really require a whole bale of straw but I do agree on giving the cover priority now
It’s the leftover straw in the bags that they fruit oyster mushrooms on. BAS product
It is just the substrate the mycelium colonizes, regular straw that was inoculated with oyster mushroom spores
but I do agree on giving the cover priority now 
