Question: What to do with fall cover crops in the spring garden, before tilling?
Although "cover crops" is terminology more often heard in agricultural circles than in landscaping circles, some homeowners may find cover crops quite helpful....
Answer: Cover crops are sowed over vegetable garden and annual flower beds in the fall to protect them in winter. Now that it is spring and you're getting ready to plant again, you need to get the cover crops out of the way. But you can kill two birds with one stone: rototilling cover crops both frees up the garden for spring planting and puts nutrients into the soil. Mow cover crops first, then run a garden tiller over the garden -- a process known as "tilling under" the cover crops. By mowing first, the garden tilling will go easier, since you'll be tilling shorter vegetation. After mowing, spread compost over the same garden bed, and till that under, too, just as you would with any beds that did not have cover crops.
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