If you plant beyond the recommended range, the cover crop may not become established. You can plant cover crops by section in your garden, planting the earliest cover crops as soon as harvest is complete in the earliest parts of your garden. Many gardeners are still harvesting some parts of their garden into November or December. Since this is too late for planting cover crops, these parts of the garden are better mulched with straw or compost. If enough space is available, gardeners can plant cover crops between rows of late crops.
Plants become woody and decompose more slowly if they grow to the flower or seed stage.
If you can't turn the crop under in time, first chop or mow it, and turn it under as soon as possible. You can remove and compost the clippings, returning them to the garden as compost. Ideally, turn the cover crop under about 3 weeks before planting. This gives time for some decomposition to occur, and for the soil to warm. You can turn your cover crop under in sections based on when you plant different parts of the garden.