Family:  Grass (Poaceae)

Hardy to Zone 5, otherwise grown as a summer annual

Rye is the oldest domesticated crop, with archaeological evidence dating back to the Paleolithic. It was probably first used for making beer, then for making bread. As a cover crop in modern use, it is an effective tool for covering the garden after harvest, seeded in before the ground freezes.  Ideally, the soil should be tilled or turned and the seed scattered over the surface, raked in, tamped, and kept moist until germination.  One or two fall rains will suffice in getting the stand started.  Unlike most politicians, rye does well in any soil, rich or poor.  It even does well on clay, and improves the soil by means of added biomass (like growing compost in-situ).  Provides excellent winter forage for chickens and ruminants.  Will keep the garden covered and protected through the winter.  In the spring, mow down the grass, then turn the soil or till again, thereby incorporating the carbon.  This is the stuff good gardens are made of.  Alternatively, if using in the summer garden, you can sow between the rows and keep the ryegrass mowed.  Ryegrass is commonly used for this, because it does not creep and will not itself become a perennial pest–because it is not a perennial.  

A packet contains 500 seeds and covers 10 square feet. 1 lb covers 500 square feet. 

Certified Organically Grown