PORT ANGELES — Veteran Master Gardener Bob Cain will provide information Thursday about what a cover crop, or green manure, is and how it fits into vegetable crop rotation.

The one-hour presentation will begin at noon in the County Commissioners meeting room (160) at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

This presentation is part of the “Green Thumb Garden Tips” brown bag series sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners.

He will discuss the uses of cover crops for soil conditioning, controlling erosion, alleviating soil compaction, attracting beneficial insects, enhancing pollination and suppressing diseases and weeds.

Types of cover crops

Cain will cover planting strategies for three types of cover crops, discuss mixed seed mixtures to deliver soil nitrogen and organic matter, and provide an analysis of legume nitrogen delivery and a comparison with conventional fertilizers.

A Master Gardener since 2009, Cain provides cover crop demonstrations at the Master Gardener Woodcock Demonstration Garden, writes a monthly article on plant disease for the Clallam County Master Gardener newsletter and is a frequent contributor to local newspaper gardening columns.

He is the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year and 2011 Master Gardener of the Year.

Garden Manager

He served as the Garden Manager of the Woodcock Demonstration Garden for five years and is a past president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County.

The Master Gardener Brown Bag is on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.

For more information, call 360-417-2279.