An Experiment in Rye

This week we began an experiment in a bed that had been 2/3 cover cropped with winter rye and hairy vetch all winter. One third was left bare all winter. We began by skimming off the cover crop using a sharpened spade but you can also use a knife. This left 2/3 of the bed in rye stubble. We then laid the just-cut rye/vetch back onto 1/3 of the bed as mulch. Next, Franklin marked the positions as to where the cabbage and broccoli transplants should go throughout the entire bed and on Wednesday worknight, volunteers planted. So now, one third of the bed is bare soil, one third is rye stubble and one third is mulched with rye that was cut down. We'll be keeping an eye on which section of the bed, if any, does best then trying to come up with reasons why that's so. Such experimentation is available to all of us and makes gardening all the more exciting.