I add winter rye into all my plots in the fall. The winter rye grows longer then everything else, so when the initial crop stops growing, or slows way down, the winter rye is still green, and growing. Then in the early spring, the winter rye starts growing before everything else, and feeds the deer in the spring. Then about the middle of July, it is 5 feet tall, and falls over on its own, or you can just run over it with an atv, or what ever and it just falls to the ground for good ground cover, OM. In most winters if there is 6 inches or more of snow on the ground the winter rye will stay green under the snow. Extreme cold, and no snow cover will make it brown, until spring.
The down sides to it, it gets 4-5 feet tall in June, early July, so if you are planning on planting something in spring, or mid summer, then you will have to deal with 4-5 foot tall winter rye. If you arent planting anything in it until fall, I just let it fall down on its own.
