should I mow?
 

Hi All! I'm back with a couple of questions...still consider myself as a newbie since last year was my first garden ever.

I've attached a picture of my garden in its current state. Last year when I finished harvesting, I planted rye grass for my winter cover. I literally haven't touched it since then. As I understand it, I should now turn this grass over into the soil and then I'll be setting out my summer plants around mid May. Because of how tall this grass is, should I mow it first? then turn it over? Will it be okay if I till it under with my tiller or do I have to manually fork it under? (that seems like it will be really hard to do). And lastly, I started my first ever compost pile last year, and I now have some compost that I think is ready to be used. Should I attempt to till some of the compost in at the same time or wait a few weeks to add that?

Sorry if these questions sound stupid.....I'm trying!!!:?!?:

I would mow it first as mowing will stop the grass from winding around your tiller shaft.

I would definitely mow it first to make it easier to turn under.

Some people are no-till and do not like to disturb the soil so they just let the clippings and roots lay on the surface.

Others (like me) till under all of the organic material to mix it with the soil.

There are pros and cons to each method. It's personal preference.

I agree I would mow too.

One vote for mowing it as low as you can and leaving the clippings on top.
The amount of biomass you are gonna get from mixing the clippings in is not worth ripping up the web of life that is building under that soil. Not to mention that as soon as you do this, air is introduced into the soil and oxidizes the humus/organic matter you already have.
But do not fear! The massive root systems that your rye produced are already in your soil and will add plenty of carbon and organic matter to the soil right where they will decompose after you mow (kill) your rye.

There is a big caveat. You may have a challenge down the road when you try to plant into the brown stubble and rootmass below.
It takes time for this stuff to decompose. Don't let the area dry out if it stops raining.
Now would also be a good time to spread your compost on top which will give a shot of microbes to the area to break things down.
If you can get an inch or two down that should completely smother the area and in a few weeks you should be good to plant. The compost will mix in the soil when you dig your planting holes. When all your plants are in, mulch everthing with straw or brown leaves.

Mow it so short that it doesn't thrive, or use a string trimmer. You may not need to till it at all.

You didn't mention what the soil is like under the grass. Have you been soil-building for very long? If your soil is soft, a handful of grass should come right out of the ground when you tug on it. If it doesn't then it has roots in clay. In most of my garden, when I have grass or weeds, I can just pull it up and leave it lay in the spot it was growing, where it will then act as mulch. But if your ground is hard. I'd just mow it, and build up raised beds of good soil or compost over the soil.

Second year garden so i would whipper-snip, (string trimmer) or mow. I no longer till as my till baby is long dead. My beds are raised so not knowing how you plant i would guess your soil may be a bit compacted from walking on it...and being second year.

I did the same my second/third year and really worked on building my soil and compost (20yrs ago). Definitely the right thing to do.

Next thing is to work on your layout and try and keep your planting areas free of compacting and establish a path. Or raise/mound up those planting rows.

Many methods and ways to get to good soil building.

A string trimmer will get right down to the soil level easily.

Thanks for all the great replies! The soil I started with last year I had brought in and was really great soil. I had had it tested right before planting and it was ideal for the garden. All my plants did very well, so I'm confident that I started out with a very good base. Before I planted the rye, I just took a hoe and loosened up everything. I threw the rye out and covered it with straw so the birds wouldn't eat the seed. It grew really fast. Now I am just trying not to mess things up.

So based on yawls' responses, I can and will weed whack the grass down to the lowest level possible. The ground is pretty soft out there, and I could probably just pull it all up by the roots if necessary, but that seems like it would be a lot of work. I'll leave the grass laying on the ground and I'm pretty sure that I have enough mulch to cover everything with at least an inch...maybe two inches. Then I'll plan on planting mid May or so. I'll keep it damp until then.

If I've missed anything, let me know. Otherwise, thanks again! I really appreciate all the great advice here!

Id mow it, then plant into it, then top dress with manure/organic matter. Rye dies in heat so i wouldnt bother tilling it unless you enjoy that sorta thing.

My cover crop looks much like yours except it was wheat, vetch, and crimson clover mixed. I cut it with a string trimmer about 3 weeks ago. Just chopped and dropped the clippings. I put composted manure and compost i made over the winter like you diid on top of it. I plan to dig holes and transplant right into the compost. I have walkways layed out with wooden boards and i stay off of the growing beds. I believe i can go ahead and plant my tomatoes and peppers out soon. Maybe by the first or second week in april.

One thing you'll find is it has a THICH root system.Mow or try to kill it back 4 to 6 weeks before planting so you can break the soil loose.Rye is a great cover crop and I have used it many times.Now it's hairy vetch(90%) and rye(10%).This was my only complaint.:D

Another Mow vote!

Hey tarheelchick, is your cover crop Rye or Ryegrass (Lolium sp.)? If it is ryegrass, you may not kill it by mowing just once. I would either scalp it, mow it more than once, and/or smother it as well. I have seen it be somewhat persistent in my zone 7b/8a area.

Mow it