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Bare soil is like having a skinned knee and cover crops are like Band-Aids. Soil without any vegetative growth or some kind of cover is a waste to the garden.
Here are some good reasons to plant cover crops in your garden: They help prevent erosion by acting as a Velcro and holding the soil in place, the material that is turned under into the soil adds organic matter, and it also adds nutrients the plants need. With more materials being turned in, the numbers of microorganisms increase. They help control pests, diseases, and are great for weed suppression. And last but not least, they excel in attracting beneficial insects and nectar feeding birds to your garden. 

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Planting cover crops is an easy and relatively stress-free way to ensure your garden is getting the nutrients it needs at the same time being protected from the harsh weather to come. Here are some varieties of cover crops you can use and their break-down:

Annual Ryegrass is easily established. The best time to sow seeds is between August and September. It does not overwinter. It is relatively easy to incorporate. It is highly likely for soil structure improvements. It is an overall easy crop to manage.
Winter Rye is easily established. The best time to sow seeds is between August and October. It does overwinter. It is low ease of incorporation. It has moderate soil structure improvements. It can grow at low levels of pH and in cooler temperatures.
Sweet Clover has a relatively low establishment rate. The best time to sow seeds is during the summer. It does overwinter. It is moderately easy to incorporate and it has moderate soil structure improvements. It grows better with high pH soils than other clovers.
White Clover has a relatively low establishment rate. The best time to sow seeds is during the summer. It does overwinter. It is easy to incorporate and has moderate soil structure improvements. It is good for soils with a lower pH and it needs to be inoculated before the seeds are sown.
Buckwheat is easily established. The best time to sow seeds is in the spring. It does not overwinter. It is easy to incorporate but has low soil structure improvements. Do not allow buckwheat to grow to maturity or reseeding will occur.
Barley is easily established. The best time to sow seeds is between August and October. It does over winter. It is relatively easy to incorporate and has a high soil structure improvement. It can grow in soils with pH between 5.0 and 8.3. It will not do well in waterlogged soil.
 

 Incorporating your organic matter can be done a couple different ways, by using a hand tiller or spading forks. The less you disturb the soil while working in your cover crop, the better off your soil will be from the beginning.

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The organic matter you incorporate causes soil to clump and form soil aggregates, which improves soil structure. With better soil structure, permeability (infiltration of water through the soil) improves, in turn improving the soil's ability to take up and hold water. (http://noble.org/ag/soils/organicmatter/)

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Birds are a wonder to watch from any window, but if you aren't providing the essentials, there won’t be any birds to watch. There are three things you can do to attract these winged creatures.

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Providing a food source is the first step in attracting birds. You can buy a bird feeder or you can make your own out of scrap materials. Feeders don’t need to be extravagant, but they do need to be accessible to the birds. There are 4 basic types of feeders: Hummingbird, platform, hanging, and suet.
For Hummingbirds, choose a feeder with red on it; this will be enough to attract the Hummingbirds. The solution for nectar is 1 part sugar, 4 parts water. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat. Add sugar; stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Do not use food colorings; it is not healthy for the birds.  Platform feeders are stations set up for birds that scavenge around on the ground for seeds and other bits of food. Hanging feeders are for perching birds. Sunflower seeds and chips, thistle or nyjer, safflower, dried fruits and nuts are all wonderful items to put into hanging feeders. Suet feeders are a great choice for the insect eaters. An easy to make suet recipe consists of crunchy peanut butter, grape jelly, lard, a variety of seeds and cornmeal. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and then spoon the suet into your feeder. A small log with 2 inch holes and a hook for hanging or pine cones would work well.

Different birds enjoy different foods. Some of the types of food and corresponding birds are listed below: -- Sunflower seeds, sunflower kernels, cracked corn, dried and fresh fruits, such as orange halves, raisins, cut up apples, currants and other berries, flower seeds, chopped nuts, safflower, peanut butter, bread crumbs and thistle.

Providing shelter is the second step in attracting birds. Trees and shrubs are a great item to have around the garden area. This allows the birds to have a place to stay out of the harsh winter conditions. It also allows them to make a home to raise their young, where they feel safe and out of sight of predators. Try to stick with native plants.(http://birdsforever.com) Bird houses and nesting boxes are other options for providing shelter. You can always buy a house or there are plenty of easy to build plans online.

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The last step is to have a constant supply of water. Birds need water just like humans do. Having a place for the birds to drink and bathe is ideal to attracting them into your backyard and keeping them around. Most garden centers sell bird baths. If you feel like being creative and using recycled materials, then here is an easy project for you.

Make your own bird bath: Recycle an old planter pot. Turn it upside down in your garden. On top of that, place a glazed dish, one that would normally be used to catch the excess water from a flower pot, and fill it with water. Here’s a great website – http://lifeonthebalcony.com/make-your-own-bird-bath-its-easy

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