Even though it's getting to be winter, there's still planting to be done. I'm talking about cover crops. I threw down several handfuls of alfalfa seed just the other day in my own garden as well as the LBC garden. I'm afraid it might be getting too cold for them in the near future. If these fail, I should go with Austrian winter peas. I tried those last year in my own garden and they did quite well, surviving and even thriving in the bitter winter. I guess they don't call'em “winter peas” for no reason. Anyway: cover cropping is an easy way to be a good steward of the land without fouling the runoff with too much artificial fertilizer. Just a note of clarification here- I said “too much” fertilizer; I have no issue with a modicum of the stuff. I'm not one of those people... In fact, I've used it before (*gasp!*) when I tried hay-bale gardening. Thing is, it's comparatively expensive and you have to sign forms and present photo ID if you want the really good stuff. Buying some bulk alfalfa seed at Whole Foods is waaaay cheaper and it probably won't land me on a terrorist watch list. Probably. Apart from cost, the only other difference I see between artificial fertilizers and cover cropping is that you really have to do the cover crop a lot earlier than fertilizer application (I could be wrong about this, though). The upshot of that? Hmmm, it means that I get to garden even in the winter. Advantage: alfalfa.
