Winter cover crop for garden?

[TAHOE]

Has anyone done a cover crop for their garden? Is it even worth it? I was thinking of planting some winter wheat in the next couple weeks and then plow under in the spring to see if it would help replenish some nutrients in the garden.
What's your thoughts?

 

[Sawdust]

I have a few times not sure it was worth it. I done crimson clover. My problem was always the garden kept producing late then it was too late for the cover crop seed to germinate.

 

[olcowhand]

I have many times, but not worth the cost being I no longer grow a wheat crop to get the seed from. Much better if you could find composted manure to till it in at Fall, then let sit idle for winter. But if it has for sure went through composting cycle, then you could till in just before planting garden. Compost is multiple times better than cover crops.

 

[BMaverick]

We only use organic cow 5H1T. We clean the barnyard and barn at least once a day, fill an entire wheelbarrow or two and dump it as a stand alone pile one right after another until that garden is fully covered. Then we move on to the next one. This takes weeks or two months. There is one garden in the summer season not used. It takes all of the summer 5H1T. We do garden rotation too.

 

[TAHOE]

I have thought of composted manure, but that's a lot of shoevling and wheel barrowing into the garden

 

[BMaverick]

I have thought of composted manure, but that's a lot of shoevling and wheel barrowing into the garden

When I'm told the phase, You don't know 5H1T. I answer them saying, I know it all too well.

 

[chieffan]

I have tried composting and never had anything good come out of it. Several different volunteer stuff like cucumbers, squash, watermelon, etc. Probably doing something wrong but found it much easier to put on 10-10-10 and till it in. Not seeding the garden down with weed seeds either.

 

[BMaverick]

I have tried composting and never had anything good come out of it. Several different volunteer stuff like cucumbers, squash, watermelon, etc. Probably doing something wrong but found it much easier to put on 10-10-10 and till it in. Not seeding the garden down with weed seeds either.

It is hard to tell others how to garden. TOOOOOOO MANY VARIABLES between location, zones, soils, etc. In fact what works for us, will not all the time work for the guy literally across the road. Of course he raises different livestock than we do. So it's another variable.

Now with that said, real organic compost should work for most people nearly all the time. The key is, finding the correct organic material to work for you.

 

[chieffan]

I have thought of composted manure, but that's a lot of shoevling and wheel barrowing into the garden

Manure is only as good as the feed the critter that made it ate. If their hay had foxtail in it, the compost will have foxtail in it.

My try at composting results was probably for the same reason we cannot raise peas or green/yellow beans in the garden.