Expect to pay a higher price for triticale seed at this time. Annual ryegrass is a turfgrass rather than a cereal grass. It has a vigorous root system that makes it hard to till under once it is established. It regrows readily after mowing. Annual ryegrass also can persist like a perennial, making it a potential weed when used as a winter cover crop.
Some gardeners use annual ryegrass as a companion crop for crimson clover.
The most important benefit of legumes is their ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the plant. This is different from the grasses, which can only take up nitrogen already available in the soil. Legumes fix nitrogen in association with bacteria called Rhizobia, which form nodules on legume roots. Active nodules look pink when broken open. When the legumes are turned under and decompose, the fixed nitrogen is released for future crops.