If you are ordering in the spring next time, I bought that mix Peas/Oats/Vetch from FEDCO and have been very happy with it. I have a stand of it growing in a raised vegetable bed right now. Although the point of using this mix is so you get a lot of voluminous green matter to turn in, so they suggest you plant it in the spring and get a lot of bang for your buck. I planted mine the beginning of July though and as much growth as I get I get. I plan to turn it under in the fall. In the past I've used just Vetch when it was this late in the season. I would plant in August and it would germinate and I'd let it stand over winter and turn it under in early spring. It worked very well for me. Advantages -- it was easy to turn under with a pitch fork in a raised bed and it didn't really come back after that. And could plant fairly quickly after turning it in bc it breaks down quickly. I would definitely say it has helped the fertility in my beds. As a matter of fact, this year we built new beds and increased the size of the garden x 3 and didn't have enough soil from the old garden to fill all the new beds and had to purchase soil. So two beds had soil from the old garden and three beds had purchased soil. It has been a very noticeable difference and I've been so happy to see my soil perform so well with nothing more than a little alfalfa meal added in the spring before planting and some fish/seaweed emulsion liquid used a few times over the season. And now I have the three beds with the new soil in them in cover crop for the rest of the season to get a good start on next year. Sorry to hear about your groundhog problem. They are the worst! Had one one season and that was so frustrating.

donn, thanks. 24/7 sun is quite a feat in the NYC area. ;>) yes, indeed, indeed! why do you think I cling to this funky old old house...great garden! hakonochlea, what a great idea. I could use that along the edges maybe & the little bluestem across the center, which definitely would be too hot & dry, I think, for the Hak. plants will be watered the first season, but what I want to eventually establish would be something sturdy enough to deal with those occasional super dry summers that we get. soil here is good & maintained with regular composts, but I want to get away from any but emergency supplemental watering. how does the deschampsia look by the end of the summer? reason I am clinging to the bluestem is that I want a big Sept/Oct grass finale thing.

Larry, I'm afraid my soil here is not all that great either, though I guess there's always someone with a worse scenario than mine lol. I'm enjoying the time with the kids, my daughter is taking to the garden quite well because she loves it's beauty and she's a sucker for anything living. My son, who I should disclose is autistic, sees the garden from a whole different perspective. He wants to know what everything is, why it's there, should he kill it or leave it lol. My kids are like night and day, sort of like me and my husband I guess :-p It was my daughter who brought up the idea that all of our plants are going to grow up and aren't we going to start baby plants--she's too cute sometimes :-p That's what got me started thinking about a better set up for fall. Y'all should have seen it, 2 days ago my son was inspecting the ladybugs. He asked what they were and when I told him they were ladybugs and they were good for our garden he wanted to know where the boy ones were. Laughed my toosh off! Larry, I'm sure it's an amazing thing to see the generations to follow enjoying nature. I know it's a thrill just watching my kids take it all in. And their outlook never ceases to amaze me or give me a good laugh. Mandy

What has a good soil test told you about those beds? How much organic matter is in the soil? What is the soils pH? What about the major nutrients, Phosphorus, Potash, Calcium, Magnesium? What about drainage, soil life, smell, etc.? Perhaps these simple soil tests may be of some help. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1-quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1-foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.