Time for this years cover crop

[jtjmartin]

CJP:

Well the winter rye is almost up to my knees - though its in raised beds.

Speaking of knees . . . how did your surgery go?

[cjp1953]

Glad to hear it's growing well for you,as for my surgery,I had to cancel due to a dental issue and then to a ear infection and cold.It's rescheduled for next week on Dec.2nd.Thanks for thinking of me.My rye is about a foot high but with the snow we had and cold temps I don't think it will grow much now untill spring.

[AlittleSalt]

We just planted our cereal rye almost a week ago. The daytime temperatures are finally out of the upper 80s.

Good luck with the surgery.

[cjp1953]

Thank you,warm weather made mine grow fast.Do you get any snow or temps in the 30's?Have a great Thanksgiving and to all other forum members.

[AlittleSalt]

Yes, some snow but it usually only lasts a couple days. Earlier this year, it got down to 24F a couple of morning. 15F isn't unheard of here. The forecast is for a dryer and warmer than usual winter.

The Elbon Cereal Rye is one that you plant later than others. It doesn't like heat.

[cjp1953]

I ask for winter rye or farmers rye.It's grown here in some of the corn fields I see in this part of Ohio.They make flour and bread from it.I have never let it grow that long.I mow it down around the middle of April.But I'm told it can get very tall.

[crankyoldfart]

I like to fertilize my winter rye cover crop with some poultry manure. Here’s a picture of the crew I employ to perform this task, hard at work making an application.

[jtjmartin]

The deer are enjoying my winter rye! Most of the garden is fenced in but the new tomato beds are not. I might have to replace the winter rye with mulched leaves.

[cjp1953]

Nice looking birds,I see wild turkeys on the bike trail but not as plump as those! lol.

[cjp1953]

I had a deer around one saturday but when I went out to look at her she took off and never came back.I think they use rye in food plots but think there's more than that in the seed mix.Good thing about rye is the low cost and that it will grow in cool conditions.I would not think reseeding would set you back much.You should get good growth in the spring.

[AlittleSalt]

The cold hardiness one of the good things I read about the Elbon cereal rye. It can still germinate at 34F or 1.1111C and can survive down to -20F or -28.8889C. Of course if it gets that cold in the part of Texas I am in - who cares about the rye... -20F is beyond cold!

[joseph]

I planted a mixed-species cover crop into my squash field. It's growing well. I cleaned out my seed stash, and added some garbanzos and lentils from the grocery store, and a bag of pigeon food from the farmer's co-op.

[cjp1953]

That's a lot of squash!Will you turn your cover crop under in the spring?How large is your garden,looks like a great view!

[joseph]

cjp1953:

I'm intending to till under the cover crop about mid-may, then allow two weeks for weeds to sprout, then till it once more and plant squash the same day.

My squash field is 340 feet X 20 feet. The total size of my garden is around 4 acres broken up into 6 smaller fields. I usually only plant 2 to 3 acres in any given year

I definitely love the views.

View from my South Field


I'm not planting the West Field this year, but I sure love the view.

[cjp1953]

That's incredible!What a view,your very lucky.I love the mountains and the western part of the country.Thank you for those pictures,fill free to post more anytime.