Why Plant Cover Crops? Build Better Soil and Fight Root-Knot Nematodes When the vegetable garden slows down for winter, it can be tempting to leave the soil bare until spring. But an empty garden bed is an opportunity—and one of the best ways to take advantage of that opportunity is to plant a winter cover crop. For Central Texas vegetable gardeners, cereal rye can do much more than simply cover the soil. It can add organic matter, capture nutrients, support soil health, and help reduce populations of destructive root-knot nematodes [...]