Looking out over your garden at this time of the year probably reveals a low, green mass growing there. More than likely that green mass is Chick Weed. By springtime that mass will have grown to significant heights, creating problems in turning it under. This problem can be avoided with a little planning. Cover crops have been used for centuries to condition soil. One of the side benefits, when used at the right time of the year, is to reduce or eliminate weeds. Let's discuss some of the options available to the home gardener for using cover crops. The first thing to keep in mind is that cover crops used for weed control operate on the principle of competition. When the cover crop species is planted in sufficient density, the emerging new plants will often out-compete unwanted weed species. Competition is created for two basic plant growth needs, light and water. Nutrients also come into play but I feel they play less of a role than water or light. A competitive edge is created for those plants which are very fast growers or are moderate growers which have a great deal of leaf area to shade the soil beneath. Clovers are often used as cover crops. They tend to be slow to get started and yet once established will create plenty of leaf area. When clovers are used, the early stages of growth will lack competitiveness requiring the gardener to do some hand weeding. On the other hand, a crop such as Annual Rye Grass, will germinate and flourish rapidly. Few weeds will have had a chance to get started, hence little to no weeding will be needed even though less leaf area is available per plant. During 1986, the WSU-Master Gardeners in Snohomish County tested several cover crops. One of the things they found was that Fava Beans did not perform that well. This was a result of the nature of the bean plant's shape. Having a tall, upright plant failed to shade the soil beneath. The one advantage that Fava Beans and clovers provided over all of the crops tried was the adding of nitrogen to the soil. The cover crop which won the award for best performer in the summertime was BUCKWHEAT. I planted this plant in a forage research plot near Coupeville a couple of years ago to see how it would perform as forage for livestock. It is an annual and has a great deal of leaf area. The site was an extremely dry one for any average year, but that year we had our drought. Buckwheat performed beautifully without irrigation. It got going sooner than any of the grasses planted and had virtually no weed problems with the exception of the edges of the plot where light could penetrate. Planting Buckwheat as an over-wintering cover crop may not work, but using it prior to winter weather setting in may be the ticket. A late fall planting of Annual Rye Grass will often carry your garden through the winter, protecting it from unwanted weed invasions. Clovers will work well also, if planted early enough to get a good start. Keep in mind that clovers prefer a sweeter soil to perform well, as is the case with most legumes. One last comment. It is important with any cover crop to be sure to turn it under before it goes to flower. This is especially true with Fava Beans, Annual Rye Grass and Buckwheat. Should these plants reach maturity, they will become much harder to incorporate into the soil when they put on more lignified cellulose in their stalks. GOURMET GARDEN VARIETIES Worth Trying: For the vegetable gardeners amongst us, here are some vegetable varieties which might tantalize your tastebuds this next year. They were all test-grown and taste-tested at the Snohomish County WSU-Master Gardener Demonstration Garden this last year. All were considered high-nutrition varieties and all received high marks in growing and taste at harvest-time. Add these to your vegetable seed list for this year: Butte Potatoes Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes (This plant is a very vigorous grower and can get out of hand) A-Plus Carrots Jersey Golden Acorn Squash Red Sails Lettuce Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley

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