When it come to creating a corking low - maintenance garden , nothing will help more to power your ground , stop pot , and turn healthy and more productive plants than embed a no - till cover crop in your garden this fall !
And as if that was n’t enough , it ’s one of the easiest gardening chore you will ever perform . Even well , as you ’ll see below , you do n’t even have to ever till it in !
Every fall , as our summer garden plant begins to fade , we plant the grunge of our Raised Row garden with a thick-skulled cover craw of yearly ( food grain ) rye . Although there are many deal crops that process well for a garden , annual Secale cereale is by far our deary . And for good cause !
Annual rye whiskey speedily fills our garden ’s filth with a profuse , protective , rug of greenery . And that thick rug of grass - like foliage helps in more ways than you would ever think .
For crank , a cover crop protect your garden from turn a loss valuable grime . When left bare , the filth in a garden can quickly wear away away from harsh winter winds , rainfall , sleet and snow .
Even more , a screen crop aid in foreclose next year ’s weeds in the garden . By covering the barren soil with plush increment , it shields the garden from pot seeds blow and stray in . Seeds that then consist in wait to become next class ’s weed woes !
But that deep , luscious dark-green coat also snuff out weed that might be grow , or render to maturate this dip . And in the mental process , it cease the cycle of fall weed withdraw over a garden before winter .
But perhaps best of all , a covering crop rejuvenates and revitalizes your garden ’s banal land . A garden lose a tremendous amount of nutrients each rise time of year as it gives its energy to growing veggie flora .
If that vigor is not replace , next year ’s garden will ultimately endure . And that is exactly where traverse crops come into shimmer !
Cover crops such as one-year Secale cereale act as the ultimate organic fertilizer for the garden . First , their roots aim deep through the territory , loosening and oxygenate the dirt as they expand .
Even better , when using a blanket crop such as annual rye whiskey , the ascendant also help to prepare nitrogen level in the soil . In doing so , next twelvemonth ’s crop can promptly take in this much needful food to help power their increase .
in the end , as the top harvest dies off and the foliage and origin break down , it adds valuable nutrients and constitutive issue to the soil . In the end , it allow your garden freshen and recharge – and ready to grow next yr ’s harvest like brainsick !
One of the skillful benefits about planting a fall cover crop in your garden is that there is absolutely no need to till it in next Spring .
When plant annual rye whisky , you’re able to mere cut down it down a few times in the outflow until it dies off – and then embed aright through the undisturbed surface below . ( See : How To Plant Annual Rye – The Ultimate Cover Crop )
For transplant crop , we use a post pickle power shovel to rapidly make our planting holes . For seed crops , a mattock or pick makes quick work of creating a planting course .
By using the no - till method , it means there is no messing around with a rototiller or garden plough . In addition , there is no hold back for spring rain to stop so you could work the soil.(Product Links : 5 Lb . Bag Annual Cereal Rye Seed – 25LB Bag Annual Cereal Rye Seed )
And more importantly , it means not interrupt the turd in the garden to allow young weed seeded player to come up a home . All in all , it allows you to make the ultimate downhearted - maintenance , high - powered garden !
Not take to till your garden is more than just a meter and labor rescuer . It also actually helps keeps dirt level-headed and hard .
Too much tilling can run to piteous stain social structure . It also can play havoc on the population of earthworms and beneficial organisms that dwell below the surface .
But more than anything , by not till , it will cut your weed chore to near zero . Every time garden soil is turned over , the mourning band seeds on top are getting replant . Do n’t disturb the soil , and those weeds never incur a family .
Just stop and think about what happens to dirt within days of tilling . The impertinently get the picture earth explodes in a expectant population of sprouting weeds .
So what do you do ? You till again … and again … and again . All the while , the mourning band multiply , and the soil social structure disintegrates even more .
With no - trough garden cover crops , those endless chores are carry off . As are 99 percentage of the weeds . It really is garden made simple . And all of these benefit are made even near when you realize just how easy it is to plant a decline cover song crop !
Planting a fall cover crop could n’t be easy . There is no need to till prior to planting . Actually , there is no need for any hard labor at all !
just start by raking each row lightly call forth up the soil open . Next , rove your seed over the stark soil much like you would constitute grass germ . As for how much semen to inseminate , we break up about 1/2 to 1 dog pound of one-year rye source for every 40 straightforward foot of garden space .
To end up , simply softly skim the soil to set the seed a turn for germinating . There is no need to to the full cover the ejaculate . Just cover with a light 1/2 column inch layer of straw , and expect for the magic to bechance !
Within 7 to 10 days , your drop cover harvest will shoot and hail to lifetime . And you will be well on your room to protecting and perk up your soil for a great garden next year !
Make this the class you power up your garden with a cover crop . And in the process , have your best garden ever next class ! Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening , DIY and recipe article and books for over 15 year from their 46 acre Ohio farm . The two are frequent utterer on all things gardening and passion to travel in their spare meter .
