===== Cereal rye =====

When we began our Fall City garden I realized that the soil really need organic matter so I researched what crop to plant for this purpose. After a field day with Washington State University Extension about cover crops and low-till framing I chose cereal rye, mainly because of its ability to generate lots of biomass (does it ever!).

I prepared the soil by weeding and by applying lime (ag lime plus dolomite lime in equal proportions). I also applied milky spore granules to address the hundreds of white grubs that had plagued my root crops during 2013. By mid-October I was ready to plant.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0373.jpg?640 |Soil prepared in October 2013}}\\

I knew I was running late. Though I planned to plant both rye and vetch, I realized the vetch wasn't germinating so the rest of the planting was only with rye. (This view is from the other end of the garden.)

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0432.jpg?640 |Partly planted by October 23}}
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By March of 2014 most of the rye was doing quite well, but those parts of the garden planted in late October were not (the section at the right).

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0661.jpg?640 |Rye growing on March 24, 2014}}\\

By early April it was past time to plant peas and the rye wasn't anywhere near completion. I scythed a narrow band and prepared the soil for planting peas. And the rye continued to grow.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0751.jpg?640 |Rye growing in ???? 20??}}\\

I wanted to get the peas planted (it was already late) so I started terminating the rye. I tilled a row for peas and left some of the rye strata as a mulch.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0756.jpg?640 |Rye growing in ???? 20??}}\\

By the time I got to scything the rest of the rye it was mid-May and the rye was taller than I. At their tallest, some stalks were close to 7 feet tall.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0795.jpg?640 |Progress on May 13, 2014}}\\

So what to do with all that straw? I was learning that rye doesn't decompose quickly as some cover crops. So as I needed to plant a "cash" crop, I cleared the rye, put it in a pile and prepared for planting.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0838.jpg?640 |Rye growing }}\\

All that straw was too much to manage so I covered about 1,000 square feet with black plastic, hoping it would decompose in the dark.
{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_0962.jpg?640 |Rye growing in ????? 2014}}\\

I had some unplanted space so I cleared the straw and planted some buckwheat left over from last season.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_1011.jpg?640 |Rye straw piled up}}\\

Progress at the end of July, clearing rye into one large pile and preparing the soil for the next crop. The buckwheat is coming along well.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_1104.jpg?640 |Rye piled at the end of July}}\\

The buckwheat planted July 10 is about ready to be turn under. It's August 10.

{{ :garden:cultivate:tasks:grnmanure:rye:img_1134.jpg?640 |Rye piled in August}}\\