Rapeseed - Canola - Dwarf Essex
40-60 Days to termination. Brassica napus ‘Dwarf Essex’. Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, no-till, forage-friendly. Dwarf Essex Canola is a fantastic forage and no-till cover crop for the cooler season. May not winter-kill, we recommend crimping and tarping for no-till termination. Plant in the late summer and terminate before flowering in the spring. This outstanding and quick to mature crop can feed your cattle or other appropriate livestock through the winter. As a cover crop, it has supreme weed suppression abilities and helps remarkably with soil compaction. About 13,400 seeds per ounce.
🌱 3-5 oz per 1,000 square feet
Downloadable Free Cover Crop Growing Guide
Growing Non-GMO Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola Seeds
Broadcast this seed at a rate of 8-14 lb./acre or drill at 5-10 lb./acre. Scatter or broadcast the seed at the recommended rate and lightly rake in or plant between 0.5-0.75 inches deep. Water in the seeds heavily at the time of planting and regularly throughout its life if natural rainfall is insufficient. It prefers a soil pH of 5.5-8.3. Most climates will plant in the late summer for a springtime termination. It may be planted in the summer in colder zones if desired. It might be winter-killed in some climates but typically persists into the spring. Do not use it in a crop rotation with any other Brassicas. Doing so may allow pests to pursist from year to year. Instead rotate between crop families, including cover crops.
Once at maturity, this crop can be harvested for forage or can be grazed on in the field. For pasture use we recommend growing for 6-8 weeks. To terminate this cover crop, we encourage organic methods like winter-killing, crimping, or tilling to be used. Do not allow this crop to go to seed or else you will have a canola weed problem the following year. It is recommended to wait about two to three weeks before planting a cash crop or garden after terminating a cover crop.
Benefits of the Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola
Dwarf Essex Rapeseed is an ideal forage crop due to its high protein and energy content that is extremely palatable for livestock. It is the perfect winter grazing plant but can also be plowed in the springtime instead to increase organic matter. Organic matter can help retain moisture in soils, improve soil drainage, and improve nutrient delivery.
About the Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola Mix Seeds
Use this mix to preserve and improve the soil health of your garden or field during the winter between crops. It may also be used as feed for appropriate animals.
This mix can be terminated at any time before flowering. The plant matter can be used as forage at any point.
Tips From Our Gardeners
"This multifunctional and versatile crop is ideal in many situations. Those wishing to reduce rotation, feed cattle, increase organic matter in a field, reduce soil compaction, and disrupt pest cycles will all find that this crop is one of the best!"
 - Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer
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Other Resources
- What are Cover Crops and Green Manures Used For? - Learn how different cover crops are beneficial.
- Ground Covers vs Cover Crops - Learn what the difference is and how to use them.
- Terminating Cover Crops - Understand the many ways you can kill your cover crop in time for planting. -->
- 4 g - Bulk Seeds - About 536 Seeds - Covers Approximately 50 square feet
- 1 oz - Bulk Seeds - About 13,400 Seeds - Covers Approximately 300-500 square feet
- 4 oz - Bulk Seeds - About 53,600 Seeds - Covers Approximately 1,000 square feet
- 1 lb - Bulk Seeds - About 214,400 Seeds - Covers Approximately 3,000 square feet
- 5 lb - Bulk Seeds - About 1,072,000 Seeds - Covers Approximately 15,000 square feet
- 25 lb - Bulk Seeds - About 5,360,000 Seeds - Covers Approximately 75,000 square feet
No-Till Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola Seed Coverage:
Non-GMO Dwarf Essex Rapeseed Canola seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on qualifying orders.
Basic Info
| Latin Name: | Brassica napus ‘Dwarf Essex’ |
Growing Info
| Hardiness Zone: | Annual - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; winter kills in zones 5 and colder |
| Days to Maturity: | 40-60 |
| Days to Germination: | 5-7 |
| Seeding Depth: | 0.5-0.75 inches |
| Plant Spacing: | Broadcast, lightly rake into soil |
| Row Spacing: | N/A |
| Plant Height: | 24-48 inches |
| Growth Habit: | Upright |
| Temperature Preference: | 45-75 F |
| Light Preference: | Full Sun |
Other
| Plant Width: | 20-40 inches |
| Cover Crop Mix Soil Benefits: | Cover cropping, in general, prevents soil erosion and improves soil quality so that your cash crop can thrive to its full potential. It improves the mycelial network present in any healthy soil and the overall soil compaction and texture. Instead of letting your fields lie fallow, cover crop them to preserve the precious soil for the next planting season. |
| Pests and Diseases: | Cover crops prevent pest issues by encouraging predator bugs or beneficial insects (the ones that kill the bugs that eat or otherwise harm your crop). This can interrupt the life cycles of pests that could decimate your preferred crop. Cover crops also suppress weeds and prevent them from getting out of hand. The biodiversity that cover crops supplly also helps to disrupt pest life cycles and ultimately limit the number of pests that will feed on your crops. |