Well okay then. I learned that grassy crops depleted nitrogen but legumes and root crops put it back. I didn’t really think before I asked the question. I can see the benefits of mulching in a straw crop for soil improvement too. I shredded all the dead plants and blew the chaff back on our little veggie patch this year. Last year I put some compost from a leaf pile that I’ve been dumping yard clippings on for 20 years. There were night crawlers in that stuff that looked like small snakes. The humus really improved the hard clay and sticky soil that the previous owners had dumped in the bed for irises. It’s a lot looser and more arable than before. I’m tilling deeper and seeing improvement with everything natural that I do to it, and much improved growth of the plants too. I’m relearning everything I knew as a kid and trying to have some decent veggies. The stuff we get at the supermarket will rot within a few days if we don’t use it, meaning we have to go more often wasting time and fuel. Still doing small scale stuff for now until I get my gardening skills honed in.Wheat, Oats, and rye are pretty common here. I think a lot depends on how wanting to the use the cover crops and the season when planting. This is a trial run for me…I’ve been fiddling with wheat but not much success.
Cover Crops in the Garden
This fact sheet instructs home gardeners on how to select, plant, and control cover crops. It reviews the benefits and challenges of introducing cover crops into the garden. Beginners and advanced gardeners alike will find information on how to introduce cover crops into their garden depending...ohioline.osu.edu