Thanks everyone; I got my seeds from Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply here in CA and they have good stuff every season for us here in this part of the US. The mix I got has peas, chickpeas, vetch, oats, among other things and was recommended for a fall/winter planting in my zone. There is a helpful video also and in it, the person says to wait till Spring, or when around half starts flowering, then cut it down, let dry for a week, then turn it in. But she doesn't show how she turns it in.
I can't mow as my beds are raised and not symmetrical and they would be too small for my mower. I have chopped them down and tried to cut most of the tall oats. The stalks are thick. I think I will take everyone's advice and do 2 different methods as a test--#1, lay them down, cover w/ mulch, and plant into it, and #2, I will chop as much as I can, even the roots, and turn in.
The reason I thought of saving seeds was, yes they are very cheap but the shipping was about 3 times the cost of the seeds so I ended up paying 4 X the price. One bed, which I won't use right away, was planted earliest and they are all flowering now w/ some seed heads forming. So I thought, why not? If I left just one plant of each variety to seed, I would have more than enough for 2-3 years. I have only 8 beds, and plan to cover crop only half each year because I can plant year-round in my zone so I would still be able to use half my garden. But I think I will abandon this seed saving idea for now, it sounds like too much time & effort.
I hope I see real results with this cover cropping business this year!
