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January 22nd, 2025

Successes and Challenges: Cover Crops


Ah, cover crops… a term that might sound technical, but is at the heart of our efforts to preserve the health of our vines and our environment. If you’re curious about autumn activities at Château de Nages, let me take you behind the scenes of what we’re doing to care for our soils, with their successes and challenges.

At first, we thought we had found a perfect solution to protect our soils: sowing cover crops, plants that grow from autumn to spring between the rows of vines to enrich the soil. But, like any idea, this one encountered difficulties.

One of the main problems? The mulch these plants created wasn’t thick enough. The result: in spring, weeds came back to life and competed with our vines, absorbing much needed water and nutrients. Another issue: some plants in our cover reached maturity too late, creating even more competition with our vines.

To overcome these difficulties, we modified our approach. We decided to increase the density of seeding to have thicker mulch and chose earlier-maturing plant species to avoid competition with the vines. This year, we’ve bet on a thoughtful mix of plants: fava beans, grass peas, rough oats, and mustard. This plant mix is not only beneficial for our vines but also for the surrounding biodiversity.

Each plant in the mix has a specific role:

• Fava beans and grass peas: these legumes capture nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil, thus feeding our vines.
• Rough oats: a grass that structures the soil, improves water infiltration, and contributes to carbon sequestration, an asset for long-term fertility.
Mustard: ultra-fast growing, it ensures dense coverage in record time, preventing weeds and limiting erosion. It flowers early, offering a source of pollen at a time when insects have little food.

 

Young shoots of mustard, rough oat, vetch, and fava bean
L’idée est simple : semer ces plantes le plus tôt possible pour qu’elles produisent un maximum de biomasse avant fin mars. Une fois arrivées à maturité, nous passons un rouleau (rolofaca pour les intimes) pour coucher ces plantes au sol. Ce paillage naturel retient l’humidité et limite la concurrence avec les vignes lorsqu’elles redémarrent leur croissance au printemps.
   
                   Failed mulching                                       Successful mulching
Thanks to this approach, we hope to achieve:
• More fertile soil that’s better at retaining water.
• Less competition for our vines, as the natural mulch will limit weed regrowth.
• Better management of natural resources by capturing water and nutrients during winter.
• Thanks to these plants, we believe we’re helping our soils and vines build a healthy coexistence. It’s an adventure full of discoveries and hope for the future.
Isabel Gassier

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