Topic: Green manure.

[Zoglet]

Hi,
I am thinking of trying a green manure on parts of a recently acquired plot. The ground seems to be clayey and is currently water logged. I was thinking of planting in the next few weeks on a patch of ground that was rotovated by the council and then covered by skip foraged carpet. I know from the parts of the plot I am getting ready for spuds, that there is loads of couch grass and mares tail to contend with too. Im wondering how much preparation it will involve.  Does any body have any experience of green manure use on this type (or any other ! :) ) of soil; do you have any advice/ recommendations?

  ::)
Zoglet

[Uncle Joshua]

I tried nettle manure for the first time last year and it seemed to work well and I inteand to do trials with comfry this year and will report any findings.

No idea how soil types affect how they work but nettle manure worked very well for me esp on lettuce.

[sawfish]

If its clayey and waterlogged and has horsetail, I'd advise you to get loads of organic stuff into it to make it lighter. Hosetail likes wetness so doesnt like cultivated well drained soil.

I use mustard as a green manure but remember its a member of the brassica family so dont plant cabbages etc directly after as it can encourage clubroot.

[betula]

Green manure improves the soil rather than the crop.It is a big subject and there are many different types.Some are best grown over the winter ,others in the warm season.One good thing about clay is that it does hold nutrients..Bit late to type loads now but I,ll have another go tomorrow :)

[Georgie]

Hi Zoglet.  There are interesting articles on green manures and dealing with mares tail in the latest edition of the Garden Organic magazine.  I've finished with mine so if you'd like it just PM me your details.

G x

[saddad]

I've posted in the basics about this... perennial ryegrass is the one you want..
 ;D

[davholla]

I've posted in the basics about this... perennial ryegrass is the one you want..
 ;D

Where did you post about it ?  I can not see it.

[Lindsay]

It's in the thread about Horsetail eradication!

[Zoglet]

Thanks for all the comments people.

Saddad, how did you prepare the ground before sewing your rye?

Lots to think about here.

Zoglet

[Jeannine]

I like oats, I haven't used it since moving to the UK but the weather is very similar .

Plant in late August , it will grow fast and will be killed off by the winter frosts, the dead plants can be turned in in spring, a good soil builder.


Planted 50/50 with a nitrogen fixer  it serves a dual purpose. I used to use cheap field peas, I don't know if you can get them here but clover is  nitrogen fixer I think.

XX Jeannine

I also like rye but  as it is winter hardy it can burst into growth in the spring as it will survive winter, then I had to turn it in quickly before it got away from me.

[aromatic]

 :) I have a piece of ground where I grow comfrey. I find it a fantastic green manure plant and very versatile!
I use comfrey as a compost activator - comfrey is so rich that it not only enriches your heaps but encourages them to heat up.
The first cut of the year can go in the furrow before the potatoes.
The liquid feed can also be good for the potatoes as will chopped wilted leaves as a mulch, best to apply before the foliage becomes to dense and therefore hard to spread.
Comfrey is a great mulch or liquid feed for tomatoes, runner beans and dwarf beans.
It can also be mixed with leaf mould to make a base for potting compost.
I have heard that if you keep chickens you can feed wilted comfrey to them, although I must add I do not have much experience regarding the keeping of chickens!
Comfrey has little hairs on the leaves which can irritate so I always wear gloves when handling them!
You can purchase comfrey plants from The Organic Gardening Catalogue
www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=59_154
Hope this helps a little Zoglet  :)

[Zoglet]

Thanks Aromatic

Actually, I do already grow several comfrey plants on my old plot., What I'm looking for here, more specifically, are plants that grow for one season and that will improve soil quality and help get rid of pesky weeds. Particularly, I am seeking info on how best to prepare the ground prior to planting the green manure  - hopefully in a way that will not require hours of back breaking toil; as I have enough of that with the bits I am able to work on right now! :)

I found Nickys seeds

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?anchor=top&SASSpage=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nickys-nursery.co.uk%2Fseeds%2Fpages%2Foriental-vegetable-index.htm&keywords=green+manure&B1=+++Search+++

have a pretty good range of green manures to choose from, but I am still not not finding much info on how to prepare ground prior to their being sewn.


All input gratefully received.

Z

[aromatic]

 ;D  Hi Zoglet, sorry I have taken a while to get back to you.....

Apart from comfrey my knowledge of green manure is limited. I must say the more I read about it the more interested I have become and think I may have a go at it myself. I think I will go more for the winter green manure, so it will feed the soil ready for spring..... but if you have loads of land you could do both summer and winter.... fascinating subject, so off to do some more research. Keep us posted on how your green manure project progresses......

Found this information and video clip and thought you may find it useful reading and something helpful to listen to......

www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/soil_growgreenmanure1.shtml

Another link that may be helpful.....

www.kitchengardens.dial.pipex.com/greenmanure.htm

Best wishes... aromatic xx



However small your garden, you must provide for two of the serious gardener's necessities, a tool shed and a compost heap:  Anne Scott-James

[Biscombe]

I used rye grass over the winter but I'm afraid the weeds took over! will keep trying, trebol clover is supposed to be good, may try that.......... good luck, let us know how you get on

[powerspade]

I have tried all sorts of green manures in the past with very mixed results, so this year I'm going to try something different "Box Peas"' Yep your ordinary dried peas .I got a bag of whitworths dried peas ready to sow in any space available, I`ll let you all know how I got on and the results achieved

[Suzanne]

I have grown a few green manures. For my plot which is a bit clayey and for sowing march to be dug back in for June the buckwheat did the best.

For spare patches of ground and to attract bees etc I use phaecelia in the summer and for overwintering either grazing rye or clover.

As previously said you need to watch which group you are planting to see where they go in rotation plan, and also you can't sow seeds successfuly for a week or so after you have dug the green manure in as it can inhibit germination. The OGC do a good guide as does edwin tuckers seed site.

[posie]

This is something I've been interested in for a while, but have been hesitant about trying.  However having had another look today, I'm going to sow some mustard seeds in 4 of my beds that won't be being used for the next 4/5 weeks.  I'll report back once I've got some info though.

[manicscousers]

we use phacelia with very good results and it doesn't snarl up our rotation  :)