November Garden Tip

The temperatures are dropping in the Northwest, despite the recent sunshine. Plants are loosing leaves and going dormant and the soil is cooling. Soon the rains will be on the way in earnest.

Be sure that any parts of your vegetable garden not already planted in overwintering plants (like garlic, kale, broccoli etc.) is protected by a cover crop/green manure. These grasses and legumes protect the soil from heavy rains, build soil structure and (in some cases) improve nutrient levels when incorporated in the spring.

It's too late to sow most cover crops because of the cooling soil with the exception of annual ryegrass. This lusty grower is not perennial and invasive like lawn grass and will contribute large quantities of organic matter from both its leaves and 5 foot deep, fibrous root system. Just be sure to turn it over in the spring or mow it down after it begins to send up flowering stalks and plant right through a mulch of the dead plants.

An additional benefit of those deep roots is the grasses' ability to scavenge nutrients that have leeched down to the lower layers of the soil over the past few years.