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Upa Creek, MO

I had a nice crop of mustard which was tilled in and now my winter Rye is about 10 inches tall where I will be growing next year. I want to ramp up the O.M and get an early start for next year.

What sorts of stuff, if any, can I throw on my established Rye to juice up the garden? I am talking Schwarzenegger around 1975 juice. PEDs for the dirt. I am not tiling until next spring so it has to be top dressed. For starters, I am going to put down 75lbs of alfalfa pellets which will absorb easily into the ground and not smother the Rye... what else?

Thanks in advance

10/28/2026 6:09:06 PM

Ironton, ohio

Possibly some of that pelletized chicken poo, it would settle nicely into your rye. Shredded maple leaves perhaps. Gypsum or lime depending on your situation. Happy offseason, time for planning and preparation.

10/28/2026 8:38:04 PM

Western NY

The alfalfa pellets are great. Maybe corn meal and soy hull pellets if you have a feed mill nearby. Basically, anything that worms will enjoy eating.

10/28/2026 8:40:56 PM

Upa Creek, MO

This is great, exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to hear. We focus so much on spring prep and amending, I was thinking during Fall\Winter rest is a great time to let it rejuvenate. It is still very warm here so soil is active.

I have a feed store very close by and will see what they have. I also will add some finely chopped Sugar Maple leaves.

Thanks

10/28/2026 10:32:02 PM

Grittyville, WA

My feed store had large bags of feather meal. Not sure if you'd want the extra N. Never tried it myself but I've wondered the same. Other than prilled sulfer, I just figure things will have to wait until spring. So much rain to wash everything out. Feathermeal or bone meal have a large insoluble component though.

10/29/2026 1:21:49 AM

Bethlehem CT

If you want to go all out definitely consider a bag of the ground up sea kelp. Often feed supply stores have it, as it is fed free choice to cattle. Its like a multi vitamin for them.

10/29/2026 7:51:36 AM

Grittyville, WA

That reminds me, wood ash can be great stuff. The only concern is high ph salts, or excess potassium. It can be dusted over a large area if you are clever about how you throw it or blow it onto the patch. It doesn't add N. which is nice if that base is covered. It also doesnt add sulfer (but ammonium sulfate can add acidity, nitrogen, and sulfer... the 3 things wood ash lacks). Hence wood ash plus ammonium sulfate is a somewhat balanced (excess potassium?) soil fertility mix. It's useful when wanting to add only minerals and no organics (although there could be charcoal depending upon the source). And speaking of that, I think biochar is a great thing to add to the soil surface. I think biochar helps establish good soil biology and healthy soil. I forget what the optimal amount is, but I think a few 5 gallon buckets of biochar wouldn't hurt.

[Last edit: 10/29/26 1:08:56 PM]

10/29/2026 12:54:58 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks, will see if I can find Biochar. Have access to plenty of ash, might try a little as a dusting but will read more on that first. Will talk to feed & garden store guys about feather meal... they are a plethora of knowledge.

Speaking of Kelp, I have to remove a lot of plants from our pond like Water Hyacinth and lettuce to winterize it. I have been grinding their 12 inch roots up and tossing in with ground leaves to spread over the Rye. It isn't much, but it adds up.

Thx again

10/30/2026 7:54:40 AM