A No-till Approach to Using Winter Rye

[@smhollanshead]

Greg, I would like to see you build the trellis. I planted peas, and I would like to see how you trellised your plants. I would also like to see a follow up video when you plant the potatoes. I have never planted a cover crop. I like your ideas.

[@maritimegardening4887]

OK will do. also, will definitely follow up with the potato vid

[@raincoast9010]

Your garden just keeps looking better and better, great job!

[@consultingdesign0225]

I was thinking the same. Looks like he's added fresh sand. He must b using those 2 yng men he's used 2 help dig new pond out.

[@fromthehutt9508]

The drunken sailor in me prefers my rye in a a glass but interested in how this bed works out for you. Happy gardening 🌱

[@Buttondown231]

😂😂😂.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I like the way you think!

[@marvinrobinson8519]

Like you, I've had really good success with a cover crop mix in western Oregon. This spring I had mostly winter rye approaching 2' high. I terminated it with a flail mower on my BCS walk behind tractor followed by a light tilling. It's so satisfying to be building the soil! A successful garden is all about good soil. After many years of good soil management, I'm able to enjoy a really good harvest. I wish you the very best!!

[@ceepark114]

The way I terminated my cover crop of winter rye was to weedwack the raised bed then cover with a black plastic tarp for a few weeks. It worked great. This way I don't have to rototill it up to kill it.

[@bobbysmac1009]

Good move. I've done similar process. The potatoes were large and grew great. You will be pleased.

[@tmd7859]

Im in Ohio, I have already planted my potatoes but they just started to peak through the dirt. I'm going to throw some peas in the potato bed this evening. Thanks for the great idea!!

[@amandamcreynolds8904]

Love the new music! I also love rye, lol

[@michaelboom7704]

Not something that I have considered but will watch this bed with interest during the summer!

[@laurenjacobsen7273]

My dog’s favorite treats are sugar snap peas. I plant extra for him. Have to watch him when he comes in the garden, he will “self serve” on the peas 😂

[@laurenjacobsen7273]

I have an affinity for hand tools too. I use the power tools when the job is just too crazy big to tackle with hand tools.

[@lindagoguen6302]

I really like your videos. Thank you for taking the time to do them

[@grantraynard]

Love the music I want to experiment with this too Especially the amount of maturity needed in the rye to crimp it or cut low to kill it

[@Buttondown231]

Great ideas!

[@michaellippmann4474]

Great video Greg and love the music...my sailboat I being launched Saturday and I can confirm there has been drinks served on her - occasionally and never underway!!!!😊 Great looking garden again this year. Have a great day and Thanks again! Mike

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks Mike!

[@michaelmosley254]

Awesome winder rye is all have growing here in tn i have been wondering how i was going to plant next spring

[@consultingdesign0225]

Greg, I remember u doing this last summer and gold myself I was going 2 do this technique this yr. Glad yr showing it again and I'm betting that rye flipped over us going 2 help those peas from drying out! I didn't plant the rye but I'm going 2 try this in a new bed that's 4 x 11. I have lots of chopped leaves that have been breaking down all winter and aged shredded branches .

[@lorineidtinytoadplot744]

My mom was so fussy about her lawn she did the edges and around the trees with an actual pair of scissors lol My mom was on disability all her life ( epileptic) but she was not disabled at all. We had a 1/2 acre garden and she canned for us and for some of her family ( like crop sharing, my uncle had an orchard ) Us kids use to make a competition out of all the work we did in the garden or orchard, It was never a job lol

[@kaspergade]

Love your content. Can you make a follow up video?

[@Randy_Smith]

I'm really interested to see how your method of smothering with the paper turns out. I had two beds similar in size to yours planted in winter rye and a few weeks ago I terminated the cover crop and like you I have peas growing. I'm in Indiana and my rye was much taller than yours (about 15" give or take). I cut mine to ground level with my hedge trimmer and piled up the cut leaves. I then took a sharp spade and scraped up the remaining rye just below the top of the soil. I took all of the cut rye and used it as mulch for the beds. I hadn't considered planting potatoes in the beds around the peas but I'm going to give it a shot. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress. Many thanks for sharing

[@maritimegardening4887]

OK thanks will do :)

[@consultingdesign0225]

Cute music choice. 😸 Can't wait 2 c yr pond processing. Please don't rush transporting the fish. Test yr water acidity in both ponds. Also the temp is going 2 b different. Also you may have all ready thought about the silt coming into the pond from that hill. What is up on the high spot? Is there a rd up there that is salted in winter. I'm only saying these things because I love our fish, they know you when u come near. I can feed our fish out of my hands and no they r not Koi.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks. Re: the fish - I have no means to test the acidity, and no reason to assume it's any different than the other pond (where they have been fine for years) since they are both filled with rain water. I'm not worried about the silt - some might get in, that;'s ok, I'll deal with it if it does. There's nothing at the top of the hill for now - and at point there will be a road, but if there is it will have a ditch that takes the runoff away. Not worried about any temp diff - because what could I do about it if there was? I put two fish in on Sunday as a "test". They are doing fine so far, but will wait a week or so before moving the rest - I still have a few things to do before the pond is complete; plus, I'd like another good rain to flush the pond one more time.

[@franksinatra1070]

It will be interesting to see if the peas do well with all the rye roots. Good luck. And that music you played in this video brought back memories when I was a kid and watched NFL Films with John Facenda lol. Not sure if you've ever seen it but that music goes great with football highlights.

[@maritimegardening4887]

They should do fine - the soil seemed perfect. Didn't know that about NFL films.

[@robertcotrell9810]

This helped me see how to handle a cover crop. Thanks for that! Definitely something to try in the future. How often do you use a cover crop?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Use them in the fall to cover for the winter

[@theressomelovelyfilthdownh4329]

If somebody was doing this on a larger scale to open up new beds. They could strim it down, and make lazy beds. It's the trad Irish way of making a drill for potatoes. It's basically a scaled up version of what you're doing here, but with more steps.

[@flatsville9343]

Using a winter kill covercrop blend (see Peaceful Valley) will give you plant available nitro due to the presence of bean, peas & oats in the mix. No shearing or sod flipping. You can add mulch to the portion of bed not yet planted out. Leaf mould would be a good choice. The roots from a winter killed covercrop would not be a problem for your potatoes.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I used this because a friend gave me the seeds; not because I was unaware of alternatives. I guess also - it bears mentioning that legume cover crops cost more than cereals; & oats are not N-fixing

[@flatsville9343]

@Maritime Gardening The winter kill Peaceful Valley blend covercrop is chock o' block full of beans & peas to fix N. Oats are only part of the mix. Rye is good if you can let it grow then crimp to terminate & lay over to plant into. You have to catch it before it sets seeds or you have a mess. It's great for peppers & tomatoes & other full summer crops.

[@juliemacdonald9243]

What do you cover the ground with between your beds? It’s so neat and no grass or weeds!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Sand.

[@tobruz]

Are “super sugar snap” peas a hybrid? Can they be saved seeds and come back true to type?

[@trollforge]

Greg, I am curious why you decided to go with Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne,) ? I have been toying with the Ryegrass mulch idea myself, but I thought Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) would be the better option... Have I overlooked something?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Winter rye is an annual. It comes back after the winter because it does not reach maturity in the fall - not because it's a perennial. That said - I used it because a friend gave me the seeds :)

[@glennathornhill8994]

Would you consider using the cover crop on all your beds or is there a reason not to on some beds?

[@maritimegardening4887]

I think it's idea for some types of beds but not for all. For anything where you need to plant right in it - it's probably not practical

[@dennismarks6133]

It's has to be really cold in your area. My winter rye grew to about 50 cm before I dug up the bed some weeks ago.

[@maritimegardening4887]

still at freezing ever night

[@KateMedland]

Very nice Greg! I'll plant my peas soon then. I just got about 130 sunchokes. Would the paper bag / cardboard approach work with them do you think? We have an area that NS Power cleared and I think it would be perfect for sunchokes. Also, is a good layer of mulch good for sunchokes? Oh so much to grow and do at this time of year!

[@maritimegardening4887]

I used paper in this spot because the potatoes will not go in for another month. Your sunchokes need to be planted now - and you want them in the ground, so the paper is probably not a good idea - but mulch -yes - all my sunchokes are mulched. Maybe do 4" of mulch now, and once the sunchokes have some height, then lay down paper round them and mulch to kill weeds.

[@KateMedland]

@@maritimegardening4887 thank-you Greg! The sunchokes just arrived, and I'll have them all in by the weekend. You are very helpful!

[@julienbronco]

Hey is winter rye same as fall rye ? Thanks

[@maritimegardening4887]

I think so

[@karenfortin2249]

I guess I am confused...could you have just flipped over the sod in the whole bed instead? Don't understand why you flipped the center and "killed" the grass on the sides. I get that you were planting at different times (peas now, potatoes later), but what is the benefit of doing it two different ways?

[@maritimegardening4887]

It's easier to kill the grass than flip the sod

[@carolbeers4208]

Ditto on Greg's commment. I put a trellis n peas did not use it.

[@maritimegardening4887]

That's not what I said

[@donthompson4912]

Lawnmower works better.

[@jaychrist4437]

How can you claim this is no till when you're literally tilling the soil over lol bizzar

[@maritimegardening4887]

Well, I only turned over 1/4 of the sod - so there's that - they rest was just covered - no no tilling at all there. regarding the the sod that I did turn over - it's still intact - not "tilled" in the typical sense of it being all blended up. Also - for the sod I did turn - it's only the top 4" of the soil that was affected - most typical tilling goes deeper.

[@newminasparenttot2256]

No till is different than no dig.....a tiller pulverizes the soil there was very minimal soil disturbance with him flipping the sod