Winter small grains, ie hard red wheat, winter barley, etc planted in the stubble of summer legumes works great. (green beans into barley last half of August, four peas into hard, red winter, wheat early October.)
The the undisturbed legume roots are a great starter fertilizer, and with a half rate of some good organic soil amendment, like composted poultry manure pellets applied in January or February a great crop can be expected as long as you have the nine weeks of vernalization.
The heirloom and ancient grains mentioned here are not exactly a good choice for a small plot. Extremely low yield and extra hard to keep from being weedy. At least 2 bushels if not 2.5 to the acre deed rate has worked well for me.
The time of planting in your area is quite critical. Yield is directly correlated to the amount of precipitation during the boot stage.(when the crown is expanding, outward)
I only do winter small green simply because of weed suppression. Very hard to keep clean using spring planted varieties. It’s one of the few chances a non-chemical grower has too make a withdrawal from the seed bank in the soil. Many weeds germinate underneath but only achieve two or 3 inches height and do not go to seed. Also, straw is quite valuable for bedding or mulch if not needed, the absolute perfect addition to any soil. Pure carbon, and the best shape possible. Allowing wicking. Retaining soil moisture when dry and releasing it when wet.
