Tips on adding organic matter with cover crops

If you have a large flower bed or big vegetable garden, one fairly easy and undeniably efficient way to give it a dose of organic matter is to plant a cover crop at season’s end: You grow plants just to maintain and improve the land during the off-season to prepare the garden for next year. Sow the cover crop according to the directions on the bag and let the plants grow. It should hog the area to sufficiently thwart weeds. And of course, a cover crop provides plentiful organic matter and limits erosion. Good choices include annual rye, buckwheat, clover, winter barley, and winter rye. Here are some tips based on your region:

• In mild-climate areas: Sow the cover crop in mid-fall. When the plants are about a foot high and are still soft and green, dig them in (if practical) or till with a rear-mounted rotary tiller. Then let the plants decompose or meld for a month or more.
• In cold-climate areas: Just plant the cover crop in fall and let winter kill it. The stuff will decompose at least somewhat, with or without snow cover. Till the area in spring, when the ground is workable again. Wait a few weeks before planting the area.