Green Manure Help

[calpar]

New to allotments (and growing) this year. I'm very interested in Green Manure and wondered if anyone has any tips or experience in growing Green Manure crops?

[Digeroo]

I like phacelia which is also great if you leave a some to flower.  I also planted alphalpha and it was well eaten by rabbits.  Also got some mustard which has been green all winter.  Also quite nice for a peppery nibble. 

[nilly71]

I used phacelia last year and left some of the plants for the bees


If you crop rotate make sure you read the instructions or ask on here fi they are compatable as some green manure is classed the same as beans so you have to be carefull what is planted after.
Remember to dig into the ground or cover over with plastic before they set seed.
I think a lot of the rye type are good for breaking up the ground, so it depends on what you want to use it for.

Neil

[calpar]

Thanks for your help, just ordered some phacelia (http://www.greenmanure.co.uk/phacelia.htm) and will give it a try.

Want to encourage bees and the one in the pic looks like he's enjoying it!

[Chrispy]

I have a very heavy clay/loam soil

Last autumn I sowed, Winter tares, and Grazing Rye.

The winter tares did grow OK, but got crushed by the snow, and the few weeds that had got in had taken over the patch, so I have given up and dug that patch in.

The grazing rye did a lot better, the cold and snow did not bother it at all and produces good ground cover, will have to wait to see how well it improves the soil.

[Kea]

We had a talk given by some weed experts recently and they had been testing buckwheats properties at weed inhibition and had had some success with it.

[Digeroo]

Want to encourage bees and the one in the pic looks like he's enjoying it!

Phacelia is amazing for bees.  Even if you do not use it as green manure a small patch is great for bees.  They just love it partlicularly the bumblies.  It also self seeds well so once you let it flower you will get lots of seedlings.

[electric landlady]

Last year I sowed mustard in late March and dug it in about a month later by which time it was about 6 inches tall - it really seemed to improve the soil texture but not sure how much nutrient it added. In autumn I sowed Phacelia which according to the packet is OK to overwinter, but it shrivelled and died at the first hint of snow. I also sowed Hungarian Grazing Rye which was excellent - grew well all through the winter, covered the ground and is meant to be very good for nitrogen etc. We shall see!!

[tonybloke]

Last autumn I sowedGrazing Rye.

The grazing rye did a lot better, the cold and snow did not bother it at all and produces good ground cover, will have to wait to see how well it improves the soil.

Rye, along with several plants produces chemicals which inhibit seed germination. if you plan on sowing seed on this piece of land,dig it in 6 weeks before you wish to sow, or only use this piece of land for planting out plants already started elsewhere.

[Jeannine]

We used to use winter fava beans or  berseem clover, both are good nitrogen fixers, planted in Autumn and tilled in in the Spring.. but if we do it this year we are going to try Typhon. it is a brassica,edible,and very hardy. It apparently has a strong tap root which helps break up clay, and it can be hoed in or hand pulled.

XX Jeannine

[Ian Pearson]

The trick with green manure is timing.
Aim to use it to cover ground over the winter - but if you sow too late it will not be established in time. A good method is to sow it while the previous crop is still in place eg around cordon tomatoes or brassicas before they have been pulled up, or between rows of other veg before they have been cleared in autumn.

When I got my plot eight years ago the 'soil' was imported clay subsoil impossible to work. I've grown green manures every winter on all available beds, and despite the fact that they have never been dug (apart from the first year) I now have nice black crumbly soil. Most manure crops produce at least as much root material below ground as leaves above, so it has quite an effect. The photo on the left is Hungarian grazing rye in autumn sown after clearing sweetcorn and squash.

Tonybloke is right about rye inhibiting germination (but then lots of common plants do it).

[saddad]

That should be enough to keep you going Calpar and Welcome to A4A ...
I use Phacalia and Tares mostly... but the winter killed the phacali this time.. 

[calpar]

Thanks for all your help.

My Phacelia arrived over the weekend so I will give it a try and perhaps look at a Rye in the Autumn.