Cover Crops

from the test going on in our area, we're going to be using Barley next year for our cover crop of choice. Apparently you get the same root mass as annual rye, but with less risk of hight growth in the spring if you can't kill due to wet weather.

Gene, what is your next crop?  As the season gets late, your options clearly go down.  We worry about rye getting away from us in the SC PA as well.  Many use wheat or barley.  Don't get much growth before winter, but, then it takes off in the spring to suck up excess moisture and get you in the field timely.  If you are planting corn the follwoing year, I would consider a legume like clover or vetch.  Both will not produce much in the fall either,but, will grow in the spring.  A reduced rate of small grain with the legume is a real nice "compromise".  I'm interested in tritical as an option.  It germinates like rye but grows more like wheat.  Might be a better option for those who are concerned about having 6 foot rye to contend with in the spring?

Big wheat and small rye are hard to kill. I've had WAY more problems killing wheat after it gets a foot+ high than I've ever had killing rye. We used to get pretty freaked out about rye, and have dumped a couple of qts of glyphosate on it at a foot tall or less and had so-so results. I've taken 2 ft tall rye out easily with 1-2 pints of glyphosate the same year that 2 qts wouldn't kill 6" rye.
 
Wheat and rye are both grasses, thats where the similarity ends in terms of cover crops. I beleive that most of the fear of rye "getting away from us" is founded in the old days when rye was plowed down in the spring.