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I think this is really two questions in one.
First, would you expect Austrian Winter Pea to be winter killed in Zone 6? Maybe I chose a bad cover crop.
Second, now that these things weren't winter killed, what should I do to kill them? I did cut some off at ground level, but it looks like they have leaves all the way down so I'm wary that they will grow back.
Thanks!
Winter peas are a great cover crop and you haven’t done anything wrong so don’t fret! You have three choices which are hoeing, tilling, and pulling. Why pull them if the point is to increase biomass as you said? I don’t think that’s necessarily the point of a cover crop. The point is to keep the soil alive and active over the winter. Otherwise the bugs and bacteria die and the soil gets compacted.
Whatever you choose, you should add 1/4” of compost to the soil anyway. There’s your biomass.
So don’t worry about pulling and removing, put them in your compost bin and make the next round of compost to add to the soil. When you pull, you will still leave behind many fine roots with those nitrogen fixing bits on them although (according to author Steve Solomon ) the impact of that nitrogen is negligible and over exaggerated. You should still add compost and fertilizer to a vegetable bed.
If you till them in, their nitrogen content will make them break down rapidly in the soil and yes increase biomass and humus and also leave the soil more aerated. Won’t take long at all before you sow veggies again
Hoeing would be my favorite choice if the area is smal enough that you can reasonably do that. Aim to chop the plants just below the surface of the soil while leaving all the roots in place. Use a sharp hoe. This way you leave the soil structure in excellent shape and as the roots rot they make channels for air and water down into the ground. Remove the plants and compost them, add a bit of rotted compost and some fertilizer. Hoe or rake them gently into the top inch of soil. You can even just leave them on the soil surface and let the bugs do the work for you. Keep using winter peas it’s a good choice.
Thanks for the great reply! I only have four 4x8 raised, so getting in with my hands isn't a big deal.
I was hoping to minimally disturb the soil, which is why I haven't just pulled it all up. Rather than hoeing, would cutting the plants below the soil level do the trick?
If you're looking to stand while you do that, you could use a hula hoe or a wire hoe (they're basically the same tool). Saved my back for sure
You just sent me down a rabbit hole - not that I'm complaining. I wound up with a small handheld sickle. It should be pretty fast and I'll have more control. I have quite a few tree seedlings in my beds that I'm letting go for another season before transplanting. Thankfully, I'm relatively young and my body doesn't mind being bent over or being on my knees.
Holes are fun! What kind of gardener doesn't like holes?!
I've been thinking about a hand sickle myself. Previous owners put in some Palmyra grasses that I like as little bookends on my frontage, but the weedeater always struggles with it
Yup that would work just fine
maybe just dig them up and toss them?
Doesn't that defeat the point of a cover crop? I thought the idea was to build up biomass to ultimately be a soil amendment.
you can compost it and add it back later
If you arent looking to disturb the soil, some hard mulching (like a cardboard mulch) to kill them and leave them in place?