You will need to play around a bit, because different plants behave differently in varying climates. When I grew Austrian winter pea in Z7, in partnership with hairy vetch, I found them easy to cut down at the base. The ideal application is, indeed, to simply let the foliage dry on the surface. Then make openings in the dried mulch for various plantings. It sounds like your soil looks like mine does, in a patch of alfalfa I seeded in Oct. and kept under a rowcover all winter to protect it from deer (gone now). I'm opening rows in it to plant brassicas, and transplanting some of the clumps to other parts of the garden. The tilth of that soil with live roots in it is amazing, isn't it? I've seen alfalfa interplanted with spring broccoli at a CSA and it worked well. By June I'll be able to see any differences between a couple of varieties grown in the alfalfa and elsewhere in the garden. I like working with winter wheat and crimson clover, too, and in summer buckwheat is always a delight. In my intensive garden, I'm much more likely to either mow and mulch a cover crop, or pull it up and compost it. The soil is easy to turn by hand, so at this point I have no need for a tiller, which is required equipment for efficient turning under of cover crops. In my opinion, turning under cover crops is a tek appropriate for farms or commercial organic growers, but not so much home gardeners. We can, however, make great use of climate-specific cover crops as soil builders, plants for permanent pathways, mulches, and plenty of green stuff for composting. Here is a link that might be useful: my website

This time of year in our zone it is almost impossible to get a cover crop to develop without extensive watering and then it just shallow-roots. It is just too hot. Later this fall, no problems, and any of the clovers is an excellent choice. You could accomplish the same thing with a good thick layer of organic mulch - compost or composted manure (more N), even chipped hay. As it decomposes it will provide nutrients to the soil. Other option for nitrogen is alfalfa meal/pellets. Put it on now and then plan to plant CC this fall. But keep in mind that N is seldom tested for professionally simply because it is so volatile and quickly dissipates. So they usually just make the flat recommendation to add N even though there may be plenty there - it just won't show up in the testing. So don't go overboard with N additions or you may create even more problems in the long run. ;) Dave

Wolverine - TenQ!! I grew cippolini onions from seed about 13 years ago and DH raved about them, so now that I am more serious about veggies ( I have a 12 year old son who EATS) I decided onions were a good goal. Cippolini have not worked out since then, I think I just miss the optimal seed in soil window, so I tried sets for the first time this year. I started with low expectations, so I am pleased by my ten lbs of small, but very flavorful onions. But I thrive on higher goals :) Thanks for the Dixondale reference, I have asked to be on their mailing list, and will try seeds, and plants next spring. And yes I Agree, horse manure brings weed seeds. So I am experimenting with a cover crop of field peas, hoping it is cold enough to winter kill them this year. Last year might not have been, but last year was weird. Hoping that the peas will smother weeds, and I can go notill in spring. Now I am hoping that this doesn't constitute overfeeding. Horse manure is more variable than I initially understood, and breakdown can vary a lot. Well aged is a very subjective term, so YES I am "experiencing" a lot! And it is fun! Oh, I have also started some seeds for onion Bridger, to plant in my cold house, and a double tunnel. Just an experiment to see if scallions might work in our kitchen, onions can be overwintered, and where I can make it work. I'll let you know. So I will have more chances this fall, winter...

Kimmg, your remarks are correct except that they might lead some to discredit the value of worm castings. Such castings are as rich as the worms' diets and are created without the help of sow bugs, pill bugs, etc. It makes no difference if they are made in a styrofoam cooler in a basement or underground. Either way, they are of immediate use to plants without the help of any other life forms. Such work is best accomplished with the endogeic types which deposit their castings in the soil and within the feeder zone of most vegetable roots. Those worms which deposit their excrement on top of the soil risk having it blown or washed away and not made available to the plants. For that matter, worms would not be a natural part of your Soil Food Web since they are not native. You might want to think of them as an alien creature which may feed on your natural microherd and what your soil should be without them. I've stated that the endogeic type is the hardest to keep happy due to their having exposure only to organic matter within the ground. The other two types have their specific needs to be filled but with shortcomings. Both feed only on or near the surface. Epigeic types will leave cocoons when the food is gone since they are programmed to die rather than go looking elsewhere for food. Anecic types might appear to be the easiest to establish and yet the most difficult. Depending upon the severity of winter cold, depth of suitable subsoil must be below the frost line. Two feet of silt and clay on top of sand will never be home for crawlers in Michigan but will in Louisiana. If they don't like where they've been dumped, they simply crawl off looking for more suitable conditions. Given such suitable soils in forests of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin which have never seen a worm of any kind, they can destroy 10,000 years of duff in a single season. But I still love them! Check out the vermicomposting forum here on GW. Wormiest apple on the Internet!