I planted some alfalfa from Pinetree in my raised beds last year. It has grown up fairly well, though the birds got some here and there. It was listed as "Big N" annual alfalfa and I can't find much information on this type online.

Now I am planning to plant summer veggies in these beds, so how should I handle this cover crop?

1. Dig the whole plant under when I add compost and other nutrients to the bed.

2. Cut the plant tops and use as a sort of mulch after I've added the compost and planted, leaving the roots in the soil.

3. Compost over the plants and put my veggies in among the living alfalfa.

4. Other?

I've never grown this cover crop before, so any advice would be useful. Thanks.