A few weeks ago a reader and a friend from the pool who lives near Loudonville asked me if a person could leave his cereal rye in the field this season. I said I’m not sure, but I’ll find out if that ...

When the Southern Cover Crops Council held its annual conference recently in Baton Rouge, I was fortunate to sit in on panel discussions with farmers and specialty crops (vegetables, fruits, nuts and ...

"Fall is not the end of the gardening year; it is the start of next year's growing season. The mulch you lay down will protect your perennial plants during the winter and feed the soil as it decays, ...

Gail Hall of Santa Rosa asks: What are the benefits of a cover crop for my vegetable garden? Cover crops have the ability to improve soil conditions by breaking up compaction through root penetration, ...

What are cover crops and why would I want to use them in my home garden? We all know that the foundation of a great garden is healthy, nutrient-rich soil. There are many ways to improve the ...

For an Earth-friendly garden, keep a succession of plants in the soil by planting cover crops. These are plants grown to improve the soil rather than for harvest. I prepare the soil for the next year ...

While most crops shut down for winter, this tough cold-season cover crop keeps digging deep and improving the ground until ...

Your garden has done a great job of feeding you this season, why not return the favor? Instead of leaving the ground open over the winter, consider planting a cover crop, also known as green manure.

Vegetable gardening in 95-degree heat and unrelenting humidity all summer is not for the faint of heart. To top off the sweltering conditions, here in the Panhandle we have intense pest pressure on ...