Topic: Which green manures?

[Uncle_Filthster]

Forgot to add that clover (white clover) was by far the worst.  The seeds are so small that by the time it germinates and cold weather sets in the plants were no bigger than plants in the tubs of cress you get from supermarket for salads.

re. rye-grass, make sure it's annual rye-grass (Lolium multiflorum) and not perennial rye-grass (Lolium perenne) or you'll end up with  football field  ;D

[Digeroo]

My winter wheat was sown in October and germinated within days, actually I think it was already germinating when I got it. ( I swept it up off the road, I had been expecting the owner to retrieve it but once it had got wet decided to help myself.)   It stayed green all winter though was nibbled by deer and then when the soil thawed out and it had grown a bit more I simply turned it down into the soil head first.    The rhubarb that I then planted on top is doing extremely well.   A  few wheat plants survived and I have allowed them to grow.   

Many thanks all for the info, might try and buy some rye and give it a whirl. 

I sowed some Red clover a couple of weeks ago and it is now a nice little clover lawn.  I think with clover you need to get it in early but for me every inch in full so there is not much space to put it.    It is currently under tenderstem brocolli.   

I find that the legumes just get eaten, could be deer, rabbits, or squirrels, so a bit of a drag to have to net it.

[caroline7758]

Got this link in an RHS email today;

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=373&utm_campaign=P3%2Bharlowcarr%2Baug%2Bnewsletter&utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email

[gwynnethmary]

Can anyone tell me how effective Winter tares would be on a silty soil in sweden?

[goodlife]

Here is a good link for green manures..
https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/

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Can anyone tell me how effective Winter tares would be on a silty soil in sweden? I'm don't know about tares.. when I lived in Finland we didn't use green manures then. But..good layer of leaves does world of good for soil..#
We used to pile 2-3 inches of mixed tree leafs on top of the soil, bit of cardboad and few stones on top to keep it in place and leave it for winter. All that was under the heavy layer of snow for months. Come spring and majority of it was nicely processed and tougher leaves just turned in for worms to deal with..and the soil was really nice to work with.
I do similar practise now in UK too..all chickens muck, straw, leaves etc. is all piled up on beds and left over winter. As the winter is less severe over here and worms and other little things are more active over the cold period, all the stuff that I've piled will be gone by spring..and then is mulching time again ::) ;D
Part from phacelia..I'm not bothering with other green manures anymore..they are too much hard work to process and get rid of if you don't get timing right with their growth.

[Jeannine]

Goodlife, if you use the ones that get killed by the frost you will still have added soem bulk and nutrients to the soil without ant worry of overgrowth or seeds.

XX Jeannine

[manicscousers]

I remember reading that some of them have to be within the rotation

[boydzfish]

I tried field beans last year and white mustard this one. Unfortunately the field beans didn't show and the mustard is also being a little tardy this year, just seem to have a rush of weeds where it was planted which, of course, I daren't hoe in because of the green manure.  :( Ho hum!!