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NW IL | From a bit of personal experience knee high probably won't do much unless your corn pop is on the lower side.
Radishes or turnips in around v2-3 will get established before the shade gets too high then hang out until fall. However they will be more likely to bolt and go to seed too unless planted later in June.
We had a light winter a couple years back and ended up with a ton of volunteer radishes surviving with some rye and crimson clover. We grazed the field (giving the radishes time to drop seed) and planted it pretty late (field to haul manure in late spring/early summer). A lot of volunteer radishes came up with the corn, and being organic we could only take out the ones between rows effectively.
We chopped the field so don't have an exact idea on yield, but crop ins appraisal was right up if not higher than our other corn fields. (Granted, the field also sits a bit lower and that was a dryer year, so that could be a factor too.)
We ended up working the field up and planting rye, but there would have been a little bit of radishes to graze had we wanted.
Probably not an option this year the way the forecast looks, but I think broadcasting radish before a rain in Aug/Sept might give you better results than planting at knee high. But it might be worth trying on a few acres, along with a few other forage options (cowpeas, annual ryegrass, clovers, etc.). Don't know unless you try! | |
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Tillage radish planted in corn
