Winter Rye Seeds

Multipurpose annual, crop that makes a great cover crop but also produces straw and an edible cereal grain for eating, brewing, and distilling. Rye is very cold hardy and will survive winter as cold as zone 3. We often plant rye mixed with hairy vetch in fall to protect bare soil over the winter. Sow it any time of year to cover any bare ground even in pathways. Can be mowed but will eventually make seed heads.  Cover crops are plants that are grown specifically to improve soil. Though rye can be grown any time of the year, it is the most common fall-seeded cover crop in northern regions, since it is extremely cold hardy and can germinate in soils as cold as 35°F. Well-adapted for a wide range of soil conditions, rye is excellent at covering the soil over the winter to minimize soil compaction, soil erosion, and nutrient leaching and runoff. It also helps soil drying in the spring. Over-wintered rye can outcompete weeds as well as prevent germination of some weed seeds. We often plant