I once used a cover crop of red clover and winter rye where I lived before. Although we tilled it under in spring it didn't die but kept sprouting. It was the worst "weed" infestation I had ever seen. That fall, after we harvested the veggies that managed to survive and fight for every last nutrient and drop of water, I sprayed it with weed killer, tilled, sprayed, tilled.... never again. Some cover crops are worse than the worst weeds you can imagine.

After that I just used hay mixed with goat and chicken manure. I sheet composted it all winter. It was tilled in in the spring. I wish I had access to hay and manure now. All I have now is leaves to compost. The chipper-shredder gave up the ghost after 15 years.

Your techique is possible with winter rye. I would do 36 inch tilled strips for large plants like tomatoes. Too labor intensive for farms. The rye is usually killed with herbicides and the crop sod planted in the stubble. Rye matures early, so it would not be a problem with summer crops, but it will compete with spring crops unless completely killed either by tillage or herbicides. Back when contour farming was the rage, mowed strips between the plowed contours worked well to control erosion.

I used winter rye as a winter cover crop once. It formed a dense, heavy sod which was a terrible job to till in the spring. Others I know have had the same experience and none of us will use it again. That is not the same way you are thinking of to use it I understand. I just offer that for what it's worth.

I have heard of using Dutch white clover as a permanent mulch between rows. White clover is low growing and may be easier to control. It would be worth looking into.

Jim

Hi Morgan,

As has been said, you'll fight it all year and it will compete for water and nutrients.

Have you looked at something that would winter kill instead? I experimented with annual ryegrass last fall. It was planted mid October and grew to about 10 inches tall. The winter killed it completely and it tilled up beautifully this spring. I'm gonna try it again this year. Spring wheat and oats are other cereal cover crops that would winter kill.

Buckwheat is another one that will winterkill.

I grew Austrian winter peas for a cover crop last fall & it worked out very good. Doesn't winter kill (actually grew a little bit over the winter, a good thing since it takes awhile to realize the nitrogen fixing benefits of legumes), but I cut it off at the ground with a weedeater in April & it didn't grow back at all.