Winter Rye Cover Crop for the Home Garden

Winter Rye is an excellent cover crop for use in the home garden.
This video covers the benefits of winter rye as a cover crop, as well as how to plant and options for terminating a winter rye cover crop.

If you are interested in utilizing cover crop in the home garden, be sure to check out these videos as well:

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00:00 Intro
01:07 Lomi
02:36 Benefit #1 Weed Fighter
04:02 Benefit #2 Soil Builder/ Improver
05:08 Benefit #3 Nutrient Catch Crop
06:34 Additional Benefits
07:10 Planting Winter Rye Cover Crop
09:11 Terminating Winter Rye Cover Crop
12:48 Following the Progress of a Bed Planted in Winter Rye Cover Crop

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[sc-dwgt]

last year we wanted to open a new garden area---on a degraded adobe clay road (the very adobe our house was once built from!). We planted the terrible terrible soil with a range of covers (peas, oats, rye, vetch, clover, etc.) but, hands-down, the improvement in the rye area was the most astonishing---absolutely beautiful soil from hardpan clay in one season! (zone 7 high desert with in-ground beds). One thing we learned that has been a game-changer for us, though, is to plant the rye in rows in our beds rather than broadcasting. This way, it's easy to terminate at any stage by simply cutting two side-by-side rye rows to the ground with hand pruners, leaving a ready-to-plant strip between, no waiting---if you've terminated rye grass, you know---it's not that easy, you better have a plan!

[charlesthompson]

I started using rye last fall, and the improvement in my garden and my yields compared to last summer were miles apart. I've had much bigger yields this year and much healthier plants. I'm definitely keeping a healthy supply of rye on hand. I absolutely love the stuff. I also agree with you on the aesthetic of seeing green in the dreariness of winter.

[organicgardeningzoneb]

Winter rye with hairy vetch is really cool to grow. We converted our lawn area to a garden area in 2017. After I rototilled it I planted rye and vetch as fall was approaching. It overwintered in the snow and went right back to growing first thing in the spring. I didn't know what I was doing then and I let it grow for a long time. It got to about 5 feet and had gone to seed before a storm came and knocked a lot of it down. At that point I think I used the crimping method by using the board with a rope method or something similar. Each stalk has to be broken for it to die. As she does in this video; and as I recall, weed whacking it works as well.
I would suggest everyone plant some this fall, even just a patch of it a few square feet just to see how it works.
It really makes a huge improvement to the tillage of the soil. It tills the soil by having millions of roots in the ground which remain there after you kill it off. The roots will then somewhat die off and leave millions of passageways for air and water to get deep into the ground.
A tiny amount of hairy vetch is all you need. The vetch climbs the rye.
We do not till at all anymore.

[johnsix]

I use a Ryobi 4' hedge trimmer (battery powered) works great for cutting rye at milk stage. Works much better than a string trimmer.

[bdwon]

As soon as you said "allelopathic, " I was convinced. Your appropriate use of SARE info, and child labor was also appreciated! Plus, for me in South/Central Texas, rye apparently dies off when it gets too warm—so say the nurserymen. I won't worry about its regrowth. Thank you for such informative and inspiring postings.

[doncraig]

Well done video! I have used winter rye in small gardens and containers. Your presentation covers all the positive aspects and goes into the possible effects of alleopathy. With the videos and well scripted information this would be the first information source I would recommend to anyone interested in cover crops. Again, well done!

[sc-dwgt]

we love rye here at 6000 ft in New Mexico. One key that has been a game-changer for us (no-till raised beds) with rye as well as other cover crops is to PLANT IT IN ROWS on the beds. This way, on a bed that has, say, three (or four) rows of plants/irrigation, we might plant only one (or two) row(s) to cover crop (plus, you can turn off the irrigation to those rows, since scavenged water is often sufficient for covers). Then terminating never causes a planting delay, because a row of cover can be cut to ground level and you can plant in the row right next to it immediately while waiting for the cover to terminate in whatever way you choose (for example, with this method, we can terminate rye---and even sorgum-sudan---using un-fluffed 2"-3"-thick hay flakes; other crops simply winter kill). This flexible method allows us to have 30%-50% of our beds in cover crop at all times, because it's easy to stick in just one row on a bed, plus it saves water and keeps roots in the ground at all times! Like I said, game-changer!

[davidcable]

I live in southern Mississippi, zone 8. I use winter rye to get green for the winter under some big oak trees. When the weather warms up in the spring, the rye goes away. I am trying fesque for the summer but haven't got it to work out very well. The rye does well in the winter. Thank you for the video. Very well done

[johnjude]

Today 9 12 22 your channel mentioned by me as a favorite you tube gardening channel on today's Gardener Scott morning chat and he mentioned you and others on his program to .
Told you that you are my favorite teacher of Gardening
Thanks Jenny as you help so many I'm glad to brag on you as a you tube Teacher
Thanks for helping us

[ronjones]

I live in North Central Idaho zone 6a and planted a Rye/hairy vetch mix too late last fall so it didn't get a great start before the freeze. But this spring it took off and was growing well. I wanted to get started planting so I terminated mine with a weed eater and now I am wondering whether to till it in or fork in my rows. I may try both methods and see which one works the best.
I want to thank you for all the information that you share with us. I am 71 and have gardened all my life learning from both of my grandfathers and just last year went to raised beds and mounded beds. I love them and along with trellising and with the use of my home made compost, leaf mold and yes I raise red wigglers for the casting we had the best garden we have ever had. Thanks so much for all your help and I watch all your videos and most of them I use as reference and go back over and over again.
Hope you have a great gardening year!

[dianekerekes]

Thank you for the rye information. I’m a novice gardener in zone 7A. I’m VERY interested on how to rotate tomatoes AND how to grow potatoes (I’ve never done potatoes). Thank you for having a YouTube channel! You are very clear speaking and very easy to understand.

[jamesskidmore]

I live in West Virginia and I use Rye as a winter cover crop on my small home garden about every second or third year. I plant it in Late September or early October and it out competes other weed seeds. I cut it about the end of February or up to mid-March depending on it being between 12 and 18 inches tall. If the soil is dry enough I till it under immediately. At best I till it as soon as the soil is dry enough. I can plant early season cole crops in about two weeks but I wait till the first part of May to plant most of my garden. Each year I use the Extension Service soil testing program and they said my soil was slightly high in Nitrogen and always needs Lime, so I don't use a high nitrogen cover crop every year. Thanks for your video.

[wingrider]

I ordered three different cover crops for this year to experiment with. I planted winter rye last year. My yard's main challenge is soil improvement, which is my job, as my wife and daughter do the easy work 😃My yard is not large, and so space is at a premium. Every square inch has to be utilized. I'm also working to expand my non-food plantings to attract beneficial insect life. Appreciate the excellent content, video quality, and video layout. Keep up the good work.

[danielmansour]

I have rye as part of a cover crop mix. I was thinking of releasing the chickens to help terminate and surface till a bit. This is my first year cover cropping.

[janebo]

I just throw it on my big beds and water just a it, , 100% growth every year... You dont have to work that hard on the rye... And it is so easy to pull up if any comes thanks for the video

[jamesguest]

Okay you win, gonna get one for myself as an early birthday gift. I keep my scraps right out on the counter and my wife hates it. I will miss the ability to mess with her without effort but this thing looks like magic so I'm sold.

[susanlandin]

I should have waited, you answered my question. I find your show very informative.

[johnsix]

Since we had a drought I am planting cereal rye on two of my beds and plan on covering them with a tarp no later then April for transplants 1st of May.
The roots grow all winter which is the #1 benefit for me growing it.

[dusk]

I love how well informed this video is.
The fact you give primary research-based refences like SARE and specific state extension publications is outstanding.

[se]

I searched for a cover crop video and found you. I want to try doing a cover crop this year. My soil is depleted and hopefully this will bring it back❤