I just read that planting cereal rye (elbon) in the fall to grow over the winter will reduce/eliminate nemotode populations. Might be a good idea if your planting tomatoes or other nightshades in that area. I read that on one of the tamu.edu pages but not sure which.

I have NO practical experience at this though, I'm planning a cover crop and am curious about other suggestions too.

Thanks Kris. I don't know if elbon would live through our winters. -30 to -40 below isn't uncommon here. A good snow cover would help, but can't be counted on.

I'd go with winter rye and till next spring. It adds lots of
organic matter. Or plant oats which will winter kill.

Swanz

Not Annual Rye Grass, but the Buckwheat still has ample time to grow and then follow that later in the fall with Field Rye, the grain not a grass. I would not even buy a grass seed mixture that had Annual Rye Grass in it.

From the organic forum is the FAQ on cover crops listing many with a list of benefits and zones

Here is a link that might be useful: organic

Douglas, and others, you might consider alfalfa, even though you said "nitrogen fixation" is not an issue with you. Alfalfa probably has the deepest roots of any plant, certainly relative to its size. A mere three feet tall, roots have been measured as long as 82 feet!
Why is that important? Well, I've been gardening now for 34 years, but I did about 90% of my reading up on it my first two years. And I remember some experiments the USDDA did with different cover crops, to see which ones would add the most organic material to the soil. They did use annual rye grass, not alfalfa, but something they found is amazing. It's been a while, so don't quote me on the exact figures, but it was something like the rye grass added 155 tons of organic matter per acre- and 145 tons of that WAS IN THE ROOTS! With alfalfa, that ratio might be, almost certainly is, even more in favor of the roots.
And that leads me to my second suggestion- that you NOT till in the cover crop, ever. Why do that work just to get a little more organic matter into the soil? Left on top, it will decompose, too, and add its nutrients to the soil.
I havn't tilled or dug in my garden since 1972, I simply toss my grass clippings in there, mowing after mowing year after year. It eliminates weeds and weeding, conserves waster, supplies all the nutrients my plants needs, and eliminates tilling or "digging in organic matter."
I've only grown a few alfalfa plants, not really cause my soil needs it, but "just cause," but I never till them in. I simly cover them with grass clippings in late fall or early the following spring.
If I had one wish, it would be that people would stop thiking that tilling is necessary or a good thing!

Tyrell, i agree with no till. I tilled my garden once in 1984 .

is the no till still an option for hard pure clay soil? I was under the impression that clay needed to be tilled to get stuff growning in it and to get the quick OM in. my clay has been tilled for two seasons, (man this stuff is hard!!!) and putting all the compost and grass clippings in I can.

OOh! tilling clay can be even worse than not tilling it! Building it up will take a long time, but digging down can create hard sides/bottoms that hold water too well, so its like growing in a bog.

Im in Nashville, and weve got rocky/shallow clay, and mostly are doing raised beds. Good luck!

Tyrell,
How do you plant vegetables without plowing? Can you describe your method and the tools?
Can you suggest some good reading on this? or good websites?
Thanks!
Zinia