# Mulch for garlic



## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

I know straw is probably the best to mulch our garlic, but is there anything else I could use? I planted 7 or so varieties some gourmet and I need to mulch the row for winter. I have a ton of leaves, but heard they mat down. Come spring I'm thinking of cutting some of the cover crop (winter rye) from the garden for mulch once the plants have came up. Any other ideas?


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## Adios Pantalones (Oct 14, 2011)

If the leaves are shredded they won't mat.  That's what I use.  Throw down amendments first- compost, grass clippings, etc- then thick shredded layer of leaves.  Hit them with a mower a few times if you don't have a shredder- I hit them once, then hit them again with the bagger on my mower- been doing this for the 8 or so years I've grown garlic.  I pile it on really thick and pull some off in the spring just to let the heat get at the bed a little more.


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## lukem (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I know straw is probably the best to mulch our garlic, but is there anything else I could use? I planted 7 or so varieties some gourmet and I need to mulch the row for winter. I have a ton of leaves, but heard they mat down. Come spring I'm thinking of cutting some of the cover crop (winter rye) from the garden for mulch once the plants have came up. Any other ideas?



Pine straw is my favorite mulch, but it is really high acidity.  Not sure if what garlic likes in terms of acidity.  But it holds up well, keeps the weeds down, and doesn't mat.

I'm harvesting a bunch this weekend as the white pines around here are nearly done...and after the 40MPH winds we're supposed to get today...most should be on the ground come tomorrow.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

I would think grass clipping's? I now have 25 bales of straw that the chickens will turn into mulch for me but thats going to take awhile.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

That's a great idea on admendments before the leaves. I did put about 3 or 4 pounds of 12-12-12 and lime tilled into the soil before planting. We are in zone 5 so how deep would you mulch? 3 or 4 inches? Jay that straw will be perfect once those chickens break it down.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> That's a great idea on admendments before the leaves. I did put about 3 or 4 pounds of 12-12-12 and lime tilled into the soil before planting. We are in zone 5 so how deep would you mulch? 3 or 4 inches? Jay that straw will be perfect once those chickens break it down.



Thats what I am counting on. Soil was strip down the center of my garden after the rail road was pulled up. Is grass clipping's use full?


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## lukem (Oct 14, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Chicken manure is usually pretty "hot".  Be careful with that stuff or you could burn the plants.  Great fertilizer, but use with caution.  Add a little at a time until you get comfortable with quantities.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

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Thats cool less to move....


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## lukem (Oct 14, 2011)

My FIL is turning loose 50 cornish x and 25 layers (not sure what kind he ended up with) loose in the garden next weekend.  Should be interesting to see how quickly they break everything down.  The garden is 50x50 fenced...and full of organic material.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> My FIL is turning loose 50 cornish x and 25 layers (not sure what kind he ended up with) loose in the garden next weekend.  Should be interesting to see how quickly they break everything down.  The garden is 50x50 fenced...and full of organic material.



I am now at 100x40 That would be cool it it was fence in like that. The coop is just a foot away. You got me thinking now!


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

Planting a cover crop for the garden will help amend the soil and add nutrients back. I dont get took many grass clippings so I dont use them often. A coworker of mine piles them 6" deep around her plants and it keeps weeds down plus feeds them. I wouldn't use the fresh chicken straw for mulch. I would compost it, or like said let the chickens break it down and till it under in the soil.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Planting a cover crop for the garden will help amend the soil and add nutrients back. I dont get took many grass clippings so I dont use them often. A coworker of mine piles them 6" deep around her plants and it keeps weeds down plus feeds them. I wouldn't use the fresh chicken straw for mulch. I would compost it, or like said let the chickens break it down and till it under in the soil.



ok whats a good cover crop?


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## Adios Pantalones (Oct 14, 2011)

I mulch 6" deep or more.  It will settle a fair bit with a rain.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

I plant winter rye. It has a very large root system, which keeps soil in place and supresses weeds. Plant in October, it will sprout and start to grow then go dormant. In the spring it will then continue to grow. Once 12 or so inches it can be tilled under or cut and tilled. Vetch incorporastes nitrogen, but never used it along with clover. I just paid 17.00 for a 55# bag of rye. I planted last Saturday and it's a few inches tall already. The important thing to remember is after tilling in the cover crop to wait between 2-3 weeks to plant. During that time the nitrogen is tied up breaking down the matter. We have heavy clay soil and between some sand, manure and green manure (cover crop) our soil does well. Search cover crops and youll find many different types. A cover crop is a great way to incorporate a ton of organic matter. Just don't let it go to seed, it could become a nuisance then.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I plant winter rye. It has a very large root system, which keeps soil in place and supresses weeds. Plant in October, it will sprout and start to grow then go dormant. In the spring it will then continue to grow. Once 12 or so inches it can be tilled under or cut and tilled. Vetch incorporastes nitrogen, but never used it along with clover. I just paid 17.00 for a 55# bag of rye. I planted last Saturday and it's a few inches tall already. The important thing to remember is after tilling in the cover crop to wait between 2-3 weeks to plant. During that time the nitrogen is tied up breaking down the matter. We have heavy clay soil and between some sand, manure and green manure (cover crop) our soil does well. Search cover crops and youll find many different types. A cover crop is a great way to incorporate a ton of organic matter. Just don't let it go to seed, it could become a nuisance then.



Sounds good, how late can it be planted? I still have beans, broc, brussle mustard, carrots,parsnips all doing very well.


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## Adios Pantalones (Oct 14, 2011)

Winter rye is like freakin super-crop.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

Not sure in your area. With the weather around here, probably late October. I still have peppers in the garden, so I tilled inbetween the rows and planted. Once I remove the peppers, I will throw some seed down. As long as it has a chance to root and grow some it would be okay. Its a cheap way to build up the soil. Super crop it is!


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Not sure in your area. With the weather around here, probably late October. I still have peppers in the garden, so I tilled inbetween the rows and planted. Once I remove the peppers, I will throw some seed down. As long as it has a chance to root and grow some it would be okay. Its a cheap way to build up the soil. Super crop it is!



Smart man....My rowes are now 2 tillers wide. Where did you find the seed at? Got the gf looking for some at tsc now.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

Found it at the local co-op. I called rural king and for wheat I believe it was 60.00. Just call around or talk to some farmers they should lead you in the right direction. Your lucky having the chickens for they will be your source of nitrogen. I'm going to check around and next year plant some hairy vetch which fixes nitrogen much like beans which are legumes. This way I won't need any fertilizer. If ph is low don't forget to lime or spread some wood ash. After a couple years you'll have beautiful soil. I had bell peppers this year the size of quart mason jars. It pays to do it right.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Found it at the local co-op. I called rural king and for wheat I believe it was 60.00. Just call around or talk to some farmers they should lead you in the right direction. Your lucky having the chickens for they will be your source of nitrogen. I'm going to check around and next year plant some hairy vetch which fixes nitrogen much like beans which are legumes. This way I won't need any fertilizer. If ph is low don't forget to lime or spread some wood ash. After a couple years you'll have beautiful soil. I had bell peppers this year the size of quart mason jars. It pays to do it right.



Between you and lukem I should have a awesome garden. Not bad this year over 100 qts but it has room for major improvement. With 4000sq ft. (And also solortowood) I listen closely.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

I think your zone should be close to ours. When I had our little greenhouse I would plant broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower in march. When everyone else started plantin we were getting veggies. It's a good hobby, but takes alot of time.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I think your zone should be close to ours. When I had our little greenhouse I would plant broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower in march. When everyone else started plantin we were getting veggies. It's a good hobby, but takes alot of time.



For use its not a hobby yet. We need the food. Now once the economy changes then it will be a hobby. Hoping we can still pull another 30-50 qts this fall. I have a grow shelving system I used when my sister had cancer and thats what we have started all of our seed from. We our looking at a food budject over the winter under 100.00 a month for a family of 5. Is our goal. Three frezzers are full and over 100 quts of jars. Cant wait to plant the cover.


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## lukem (Oct 14, 2011)

I still have tomatoes producing...picked about 10 lbs last night and made 6 jars of salsa.  Peppers still going gangbusters...give away about a gallon of jalapenos a week, and have 100+ bell peppers on the plants.  My fall crop of lettuce and snow peas are producing like crazy.

I throw all the leaves, straw, grass...manure...whatever in the garden for the winter instead of planting a cover crop.  I till it in before the freeze...and then again in the early spring.  It composts much better under ground...but a lot still stays on top.  

In the spring the soil is nice an fluffy and holds the moisture better with all the organic stuff....


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> I still have tomatoes producing...picked about 10 lbs last night and made 6 jars of salsa.  Peppers still going gangbusters...give away about a gallon of jalapenos a week, and have 100+ bell peppers on the plants.  My fall crop of lettuce and snow peas are producing like crazy.
> 
> I throw all the leaves, straw, grass...manure...whatever in the garden for the winter instead of planting a cover crop.  I till it in before the freeze...and then again in the early spring.  It composts much better under ground...but a lot still stays on top.
> 
> In the spring the soil is nice an fluffy and holds the moisture better with all the organic stuff....



Nice, we got 12 qts of mustard green cook up and frozen last weekend. That's a job! Few qts of hot pepper jelly. Zucci still going 6 qts of green beans. Brocclli and brussle sprouts lookin good!


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## begreen (Oct 14, 2011)

We use shredded leaves too. I have this giant bag that attaches to the riding mower's bagger in place of the bins. It allows me to collect a lot of shredded leaves quickly. 

Last winter we used winter rye and it has made a nice improvement where we did this. But my neighbor said to try buckwheat. He loves it because it is super easy to break up with just a hoe in the early spring. I think I will give it a try soon.

PS: I used a mix of red clover and vetch one year. Won't do that again. If you leave any little fragment uncovered it starts to spread quickly in summer.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

That's what i'm afraid of with vetch or clover. Can get invasive. Every year when I test the soil I'm low in nitrogen so I supplement with some general fertilizer. The issue is too much nitrogen wreaks havoc on quite a few vegetables so it must be used carefully.


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## lukem (Oct 14, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> That's what i'm afraid of with vetch or clover. Can get invasive. Every year when I test the soil I'm low in nitrogen so I supplement with some general fertilizer. The issue is too much nitrogen wreaks havoc on quite a few vegetables so it must be used carefully.



You're right on there.  Radishes, carrots, turnips, etc...plants where you eat the root... generally will do best in low(er) nitrogen soil, otherwise the root doesn't need to develop as much....and the tops quickly go to seed.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

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Got all three going glad you said that! My fall crop is bigger that the summer.


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## laynes69 (Oct 14, 2011)

Corn and onions love high feeds of nitrogen. With peppers and tomatoes too much N causes blossom drop and large plants with little fruits. In cucumbers, zucchini and melons too much causes rapid leaf growth. Makes a beautiful plant but is susceptible to virus due to it's tender growth. That's why I side dress different plants at different times. Using natural fertilizers like compost and manures helps balances these differences. Learning about each species ensures the most from each plant. I used to plant in high numbers, but low numbers and good plant care tend to result in better crops. I canned very little tomatoes this year, but we did 60 qt of beans, froze pounds of diced onions and peppers, froze over 16# of broccoli and some other things. The first year we moved here we canned around 600 jars of food.


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## smokinj (Oct 14, 2011)

[quote author="laynes69" date="1318639603"]Corn and onions love high feeds of nitrogen. With peppers and tomatoes too much N causes blossom drop and large plants with little fruits. In cucumbers, zucchini and melons too much causes rapid leaf growth. Makes a beautiful plant but is susceptible to virus due to it's tender growth. That's why I side dress different plants at different times. Using natural fertilizers like compost and manures helps balances these differences. Learning about each species ensures the most from each plant. I used to plant in high numbers, but low numbers and good plant care tend to result in better crops. I canned very little tomatoes this year, but we did 60 qt of beans, froze pounds of diced onions and peppers, froze over 16# of broccoli and some other things. 

"The first year we moved here we canned around 600 jars of food"

Awesome, Thats what I am looking for a big supply and the maintaine and rotate it as we need it. This year was very wide rows that the tiller could go between. That is a spacing I will keep. 

(I would like to have around 400 at the falls need) Maybe next year.


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## smokinj (Oct 20, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Not sure in your area. With the weather around here, probably late October. I still have peppers in the garden, so I tilled inbetween the rows and planted. Once I remove the peppers, I will throw some seed down. As long as it has a chance to root and grow some it would be okay. Its a cheap way to build up the soil. Super crop it is!




Best I could find is Oats. It was in the deer section 50lbs for 21.99?


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## laynes69 (Oct 20, 2011)

I've never grown oats, but the price doesn't seem too bad. Hopefully someone here comes along who has used them.


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## smokinj (Oct 20, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I've never grown oats, but the price doesn't seem too bad. Hopefully someone here comes along who has used them.



Seems I am about 3 weeks late getting it in, but went 30lbs on 4000sq ft. What I bought can produce 8-10,000 lbs of foliage(Per acer with 80lbs seed). Seems I should have a pretty good crop even short. 
Got the moisture and warm weather coming?


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## laynes69 (Oct 20, 2011)

I just leveled our tomatoes, tilled everything in and planted the rest of our rye. The first planting is about 4 or 5 inches now and green and the latest planting is now germinating. Chilly at night, but warm enough during the day to promote growth before winter.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 22, 2011)

So what is the consensus on mulch for garlic?  Something like this?


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## begreen (Oct 22, 2011)

Truth be told, I've never mulched for garlic in particular. I just mulch the beds with chopped leaves to keep weeds down and to compost into the beds. We don't get cold enough, for long enough to freeze the ground more than an inch or two.


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## Wallyworld (Oct 22, 2011)

I have used oats in the summer in dormant areas of the garden, not sure how it grows in the cold. I planted winter rye late sept in areas that had peas, beans and such, its about 6 inches tall now. I like it as it holds the soil. I don't really need the organic matter according to soil tests but its going to get tilled under in the spring.

For garlic I use old wood chips, not really composted but not freshly chipped either. Works for me


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## phatfarmerbob (Oct 23, 2011)

Hey just came across this thread,,, few things , oats are nice but will die off in the winter and prolly not come back in the spring , at least here in ny.  rye is a good cover crop  as is wheat and buckwheat.  as for garlic i just finished planting mine last week 60,000 cloves give or take ( thats an estimate ) i dont mulch cause straw is too expensive i get 6 a bale for good rye straw, and if i had a home garden i would certantly mulch my garlic with straw asap ( before snow)


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## smokinj (Oct 23, 2011)

Got 50lbs of oats tilled in on 4000sqft. Sure it will dye in the bitter cold but enough seed down that should get some early growth in the spring. (Its the only seed I could get)


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

I'm a lazy composter.  Went over to the compost site and picked up 12 yards after I tilled the garden under.


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## laynes69 (Oct 25, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> I'm a lazy composter.  Went over to the compost site and picked up 12 yards after I tilled the garden under.



I see tractor treads, what are you using to shape the rows?


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## smokinj (Oct 25, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

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That also some Awesome looking soil. I have 25 bails of winter wheat straw being composted by chickens for next season to. The hard way. ;-)


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

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3 pt tiller.  Doesn't do much more than clean up the top, but that is all I really want it to do anyway.


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## smokinj (Oct 25, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

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Are you using any other tiller?


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Awesome looking soil



3 parts food waste from local institutions, 1 part double shredded mulch.  They cook it good and monitor the temps during the process to make sure they kill everything off.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Are you using any other tiller?



single point subsoiler


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## smokinj (Oct 25, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

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Wow I am packing my bags and headed your way!


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Wow I am packing my bags and headed your way!



Bring your tools, the Ford has been around the block a few times.


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## smokinj (Oct 25, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

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Me to, be awesome to co-op!


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## laynes69 (Oct 25, 2011)

I see, I have 3 plows a 2 bottom pull plow, a 1 and 2 point 3pt plow and a 8' tandem pull disc. I do it the hard way, I would like a 3pt tiller but they're too expensive right now. My pull plow does the best job turning the soil over, which is from the 1940's I believe. My tractor is a '57 Oliver Super 55 diesel. I'd like something to shape beds, but I have to be careful. We have clay soil and it's easy to compact using the tractor. Once everything is planted I have a rear tine tiller for the rows.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> We have clay soil and it's easy to compact using the tractor.



Same deal here, clay and glacial till.  The county compost program has been a godsend.  I'm going to keep adding as much as I can as I know it probably won't last.  The tractor always makes those same passes, so the beds are never compacted.  I mulch the tire/walkways after the spring till.


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## smokinj (Oct 25, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

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That is some years of serious composting. I got everything in place just need some years...lol


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## begreen (Oct 25, 2011)

And some serious wood piles and storage too.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks guys, my conversion from city kid who doesn't know where anything comes from is almost complete.  Hopefully, our kids will be way up this learning curve before its time to decide what to do with their lives.


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## backpack09 (Oct 26, 2011)

The guy from my CSA recommended oats and peas for a cover crop.  My 30sf bed really does not justify it, but it sounded interesting.


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