Cover Crops in the Local Newspaper

I was quoted in a local newspaper feature article today talking about cover crops.

It's paywalled, but if you haven't visited before, you can probably read it here. 

I talk mostly about why and how I plant winter rye (also called cereal rye) in my garden. Others are featured as well.

Here's part of what I shared:

  • It builds the soil from below.
  • It protects the soil from above. Many people don't know that wind, rain, and snow breaks soil apart. Winter rye protects it.
  • It keeps weeds down in the spring. It is allelopathic for a few weeks which means that it puts out a chemical that keeps seeds from germinating. That slows down weed seeds. 
Here is a podcast from the University of Illinois Extension on cover crops if you want more information.

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