Juan Triticale
The perfect beginner's grain, and a great cover crop as well. Triticale, a natural cross between wheat and rye, has the good qualities of both. Hardy, easy to grow, high nutrition, disease-resistant, and sheds its hull without any processing equipment needed. Makes a thick stand of green manure for cover cropping, and a lot of biomass to enrich the soil. For grain, plant in very early spring, harvest when grains in the seedhead are hard.5 ft plants make a lot of straw for mulch or compost. For cover crop, sow in fall. In zones 8-10, turn under or cut in spring while plants are green. In colder zones, it freezes out to make a thick mulch the rest of the winter. 1 oz packet, sows 100 sq ft for grain or in a mixture; 50 sq ft as a solo cover crop.