You have a really nice place, Worth.
And it sounds like you're in a good place with it, too. My situation is a bit more complicated. My perennial garden is fine and full, no problems there, but I am growing more vegetables now - and frankly we have to do that. There is not enough agriculture in our region, period. So I want to grow more garlic and onions as well, which means I need more beds in rotation and a plan to crop or cover crop in alternate years.
This year I experimented with barley, flax, and triticale (thanks to Nicky swap!) and some peas too of course. I just wanted to see if I could produce seed from any of these to grow it forward, but I don't really know if I will get seeds before it's time to plant the garlic in our super short season. I have another bed in potatoes, but I think there may be better techniques for carbon conservation there too.
Another thing, my raised vegetable beds are pretty much 100% organic matter so that means they are already carbon rich, if I understand correctly there is not much capture capacity in that, compared to the mineral soils which are totally lacking in carbon here. That old red clay could take a lot. So that makes me wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Maybe I should be working to get carbon into the clay instead.
Or maybe I should be strictly no till in the veggie beds. Still don't know how that will work for garlic. I could try tarp but I have to say the robins will not be pleased!
