I've sued a simple, mono cover crop for a number of years now and like it very much for what I want and able to achieve, oats. for my location, the seed is sown (with my Gardenway planter) as close as possible to Sept. 1st in order to get lots of top growth before killing frost but not so early that the crop goes to seed. for me, the oat crop does 3 things primarily. 1) takes up N in the soil from that years veggie crop remaining in the soil and puts it into the tops that will be returned to the soil in the following Spring. 2) mellows the soil very nicely for subsequent cultivation. 3) suppresses Fall weed growth. This year I tried another twist in cover cropping by planting soybeans in May (I think) and grew them until the pods were getting about half full, then, I ran the tops through the shredder and dumped the good stuff back onto the soil and turned it in prior to planting the oats. The beans had plenty of time to nodulate and form an extremely dense canopy that suppressed ALL weed growth. following the beans was the oats, I think that plot is going to be in excellent condition for next year. Never thought of 2 successive cover crops in the same growing season before, it was a lot of work! Maybe thers is a better alternative growing one crop like Hairy Vetch for the entire year. I'm still not too old to learn but old enough to look for ways to get where I want to go and not be so damned tired when I get there to enjoy life :) Happy planting, Michael

I wouldn't recommend less than a 7" roller cover for walls. A 4" may leave too many roller marks. A 7" - 9" roller cover with 3/8" woven nap works well. Use a tray. Why? You want the paint evenly dispersed on the roller cover before going to the wall surface. Michael

The smaller rollers hold less paint than larger ones, so you have to return to the paint bucket or pan more often. The larger the room, the longer it will take using the smaller roller. IMO, a small bathroom, a closet, or a single wall are the limits to the skinny rollers. I don't like them much because I try to maximize the paint on the roller and end up with drips. As a small woman, when I use a full-size roller, I use a 6 inch roller. The reduced weight and size give me more control.

Currently my walls are showing lots of roller marks from the previous paint job That happens when: 1 - You try to spread the paint too thin 2 - You go back and try to "rework" partly dry paint. To prevent this, remember that a loaded roller can do about a 2x2ft square of wall. I make an X with arms about 2 feet long, roll crosswise to spread the paint and finish by rolling vertically. I overlap the previous paint square by a couple of inches on the final rolling. And if you look back and the wall looks horrible and blotchy, it's because it's drying unevenly. This is NOT A PROBLEM! Wait for 24 hours and then evaluate it. I have never had a problem with Behr paint sagging. Pour enough paint in so the flat part of the roller pan is full (not the whole pan!) ... roll the roller towards the deep part until you have completely covered it with paint. Roll it lightly once or twice on the sloping part to remove excess. I always roll towards the deep end, out of the firmly held conviction that it's the best way, but I have no evidence.