Tucked In.

My back garden bed, where my three sister's garden grew this summer, covered with oats for a cover crop of green manure. The oats will be killed over the winter, and then can be either raked off the bed and composted, raked to the side and planted through or tilled into the soil. We are really hoping to avoid tilling this year to avoid disturbing the little eco-system that has developed under the soil. The reason we have had to till over the years is mainly because our garden soil consists predominately of clay. Clay compacts harder than concrete over time and after being exposed to elements like pounding rain and heavy snow. The cover crop protects the soil from the elements and erosion, keeps nutrients from running off and adds nutrients when either tilled back in or planted through as mulch.  I go on like a broken record about cover crops and protecting the soil. I have found the rule, no bare soil at any time, to be one of the most important factors in a healthy garden. No bare soil = no weeds, more consistent moisture, more biological activity underneath, no erosion, less compaction and less run off. The roots of cover crops run deep under the soil, keeping it workable. A cover crop keeps the soil where it is supposed to be for the winter and ensures it stays there in the spring rains.