You can wait until two or three weeks before planting in spring, using a method like tilling to properly kill it so it doesn't become weedy. A thin cover of berseem clover - Sumita Basak/Shutterstock ...

In the fall, you might be tempted to remove the dead plant material, till your garden soil a bit, and put your garden to bed for the winter without another thought. However, you can also grow cover ...