Nothing can help you create a low-maintenance garden more than planting a no-till cover crop in your garden this fall!
To begin, lightly stir the earth on each row using a rake. Cast your seeds over the soil in the same way that you would plant grass seed. We sprinkle half to one pound of annual rye seed per 40 square feet of garden space when determining how much to sow.
The final step is to softly scrape the soil to prepare it for the seed to germinate more readily. When planting, you don’t need to cover the seed completely. Just add a thin coating of straw (about 1/2 inch thick) and watch the transformation take place!
Fall cover crops will sprout and begin to grow within a week or so. To ensure that your soil is healthy and ready for the next growing season, follow these steps!
1. Cover Crops Can Make a Big Difference
The first benefit of using cover crops is that they prevent your garden from losing precious soil. Snow, rain, and sleet may swiftly destroy soil in a garden if left unprotected.
Additionally, a cover crop helps prevent weeds from re-emerging next spring. It prevents weed seeds from floating into the garden by covering the soil with luxuriant vegetation. Next year’s weeding headaches will be waiting for you in the form of seeds!
But the thick, lush green coat also smothers any weeds that could be sprouting or trying to sprout this fall. And in the process, it breaks the cycle of fall weeds taking over a garden before the winter freezes over it.
