How to Plant Fall Rye

Fall rye, also known as winter rye, is a productive cover crop, providing the benefits of an edible crop for livestock, preventing runoff and aerating the soil. Planted in the fall, it germinates and grows in temperatures above freezing and withstands freezing temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit. It stops growing during cold weather, then greens again quickly in the spring. In cold climates, fall rye grows year round as a lawn or cover crop. In warmer climates, rye grass dies back when the weather heats up.

Things You'll Need

• Plow, tiller or rake
• Rye seed
• Nitrogen fertilizer

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Prepare the seedbed by mowing existing grasses or plowing or tilling the soil.

   • 2

     Plant the seeds in the fall, preferably in late August or early September. Broadcast rye seed onto moist soil at a rate of 1 1/2 to 3 bushels of seed per acre. Rake or lightly till the soil to bury the seed to a depth of 1 to 2 inches.

   • 3

     Water the seedbed as needed to keep the soil moist, but avoid soggy conditions.

   • 4

     Fertilize with a nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 40 lbs. of nitrogen per acre. If nitrogen-fixing crops, such as soy beans, corn, alfalfa or clover, were previously planted in the soil, no fertilizer is needed.