Mustard is blooming all over San Luis Obispo County. It’s one of the many cover crops that farmers and ranchers plant to smother weeds and replenish nutrients in the soil. Mustard grows between grape vines, under orchard trees, and on grazing lands. It’s one of the most “beautiful” of cover crops and reminds us that spring is here.
Mustard is usually planted in the fall, and blooms in the spring. The plant and its blooms are then cut and turned back into the soil. The nitrogen that is stored in the biomass of the plant provides nourishment for subsequence crops and humus for the soil.
A member of the “Wednesday Irregulars”, a plein aire painting group in the county, took this picture on their last field trip. I’ll bet their paintings were wonderful on this sunniest of days!
Beautiful! I can see an arty quilt being made from this photo. Happy Spring!