In the fall, we began preparing Don’s garden for this year’s vegetable crop, by amending the soil and planting legumes (for that information, click here). The legumes were a bust, very few came up. I’m sure our long drought had a lot to do with it. So we have a new plan.
We never give up, when it comes to gardening. There’s always some plan to try to improve the garden production. Our new plan involves Elbon Rye Grass. Don planted 18 lbs of Elbon in the large garden right before our last big rain. It’s all up, and looking gorgeous. Elbon will help get rid of nematodes in the garden, and supply lots of “green manure.” For information about Elbon Rye, click here.
Our plan is to let it grow as long as possible, and hopefully seed out. When the weather gets too hot, it starts to die. This year it may become mulch, rather than get tilled in. Don will just dig patches in the rye, to plant the earliest vegetable seeds. We’re hoping to accomplish some weed control, while supplying some very beneficial nutrients for the health of the soil. At the end of the growing season, he’ll till it in, along with more soil amendments.
There is one problem that we may have to contend with, my always present friends, the deer. Apparently, deer love Elbon Rye, which means the deer netting may have to go up a lot earlier than normal. This is a possibility I haven’t told Don about yet.