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Old June 5, 2015   #38
Redbaron
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
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I'm in my third year of almost no till and like the results. I still work compost, organic fert and rock dust into the top inch of my beds twice a year, dig decent size planting holes for my tomatoes and peppers and hand pull weeds. Other than that I do not disturb the soil. I'm doing it both with conventional beds and "Back to Eden" wood chip mulched beds.

The one thing I would like to do that I have not done since going mostly no till is plant a cover crop. I have been watching some videos from a famer named Gabe Brown and am inspired to try cover crops again. I used to plant winter rye and then chop it into the soil. Is there any cover crop that will grow for a relatively short period of time put on a good amount of biomass and die in the winter in the North east?

Glenn
I think what you are going for is the semi-hardy and tender covers that winterkill. Rodale Institute has been working on these types for a while now. Here is a link:

Choosing the best cover crops

Remember something that might overwinter here in Oklahoma might winterkill in your climate. So what I like about that list is they show the hardiness temps.
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"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system."
Bill Mollison
co-founder of permaculture
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