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Fall and Winter Soil Building
One of the easiest ways to build soil on large acreage is by cover cropping. This can be done in winter as well as the rest of the year. In mild climates there are legumes that will stand the cooler weather. The particular value of legumes is that on their roots, nodules form which are inhabited by certain species of Rhizobium, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium. Generally, a legume when planted is accompanied by seeds of some grass, often ryegrass. The time for grass is almost precisely 16 to 18 days from seed emergence.
Even on a small garden plot, if there are areas unused for a winter garden, or rows temporarily emptied, a cover crop can be grown and spaded under at the proper time.