Quote:
Originally Posted by creister
I agree with just chopping it down and letting it lay. I have have cover cropped for several years, and have never tilled it in. A few things you may want to consider:
1.). Use a string line trimmer (weed eater) if you have one, you can cut it lower to the soil line.
2.). Rake back all the trimmings and spread your compost, then cover with the grass clippings. If you can, cover with mulch of shredded leaves or shredded tree trimming.
3.). I read somewhere to wait until the rye has seed heads on it before you cut it. Theory is that you will get the most biomass of roots and leaves etc. this way.
4.). Next year consider mixing in hairy vetch or Austrian winter pea to up the nitrogen in the soil.
All that being said, there are many ways too do this, experiment as that is how you will discover what works best for you. A lot of great answers in this thread.
I don't till for the reasons Worth and others mentioned, but in my garden, tilling seems to increase the amount of weeds. It will put all the wind blown seeds down into the soil allowing them to germinate.
Good luck.
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That's why I went to hairy vetch and even yellow clover.10 years ago when I started to use a cover crop it was winter rye.The root system was a pain to till in.I found anther feed store that carries different type of cover crops.Gave them the size of my garden and they gave me a blend of different crops.Rye was always a small percentage of it.Might go just hairy vetch next fall.I have been told you could use a living mulch of clover white or yellow during the summer and mow between the rows.
So many choices.