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mag314_gw

is it too late to cover crop rtaised beds for the winter?

mag314
9 years ago

Hey all, this seems like the best forum for my question (and probably the best-attended this time of year!): I'm in Athens, GA (so zone 7, 8, or 8b depending on what map you're looking at); generally the winters are mild, although there's some prediction of repeating last year's freezes. This fall, I had intended to cover crop my raised garden beds for the first time, in order to pre-infuse some nitrogen for next year, but my tomatoes kept producing and producing, and then a few weekends were hijacked with other stuff that prevented me from getting to it. Do you think it's too late to seed with clover? Would wheat (or something else) be better at this late stage? Should I wait until early spring and do a cover crop then, some time prior to planting in?

Last winter, I had covered the beds with tarps, mostly to keep the rain that pummels off of the gutter-less eaves of the roof (the beds sit right next to a south-facing wall) from eroding away the soil, but I finally installed a gutter above, so that problem is solved. If i don't cover crop this winter, though, I'll probably replace the tarps, just to keep things tidy (squirrels and their pecan-donations, etc.).

Suggestions? Thanks!

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