On Fri, 4 Sep 2009 10:14:26 -0700, "Zootal"
wrote:


"Bud" wrote in message
...
Billy wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

I am in zone 5 and have question about cover crop.......I have small
garden,
about 800 sq ft.....about 300 sq ft is now available for planting, and I
have just planted winter rye as a cover crop/green manure......Now I am
having second thought...I have only small rotor tiller and am concerned
that
the rye grass will be difficult to till in spring....any advise
appreciated.

After the rye, you won't need it.

Depends how high it gets. Too high, use your mower with a cacher, or a
mulching mower, then till. Yep, the small tillers have a hard time with
the
high cover crops, takes several passes.

How high is the rye likely to get? And how late in the year can you plant
it? Much of my garden has squash and tomatoes and plants that produce until
a good frost kills them, which can be as late as mid October. Can you plant
rye that late in the season?

I'd plant the rye now - reminds me I need to buy some seed myself. You
can plant amid the tomatoes and perhaps other plants. I'll be planting
where my zinnias are.

depending on the weather etc, my best rye crop was close to 3 feet
high. It was great looking out to a mini field of green when
everything else was dead and brown.

Kate - mid TN