Green manure

[OliveOil]

Can anyone recommend an easy to grow green manure, but not one that is going to completely take over.

[OliveOil]

[Sprout]

Mustard or phacelia (bees love the flowers if you leave them that long)

[saddad]

If you let the phacalia flower it may make a take over bid, I have Nigella, not a formal green manure but no matter how many times I dig it in there always seems to be some more next year!
;D

[redimp]

Mustard is good but be aware that it is a brassica so needs rotating with them.  I use and am going to use Red Clover (the rarer bumbles like this) and buckwheat - neither of which require rotating.

[grawrc]

I think there is info on this in the wiki - link at the top of this page. Also if you go to the Organic gardening Catalogue website: http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/ there is information about different sorts of green manure.

I have crimson clover, phacelia and fenugreek.

[flowerlady]

I know mice like fenugreek  :o 

personally lovel the blue of phacelia, so do the bees  ;)

The Organic catalogue do a Tubingen Mix ...................

"An annual mixture, originally developed for use on set-aside land to improve bee forage in the summer and autumn. An excellent attractant for bees and other pollinating insects. Contains: Phacelia, Buckwheat Mustard, Coriander, Calendula, Black Cumin, Oil Radish,Cornflower,Wild Mallow, Dill and Borage.
50g covers 18 sq metres"

You could then see which bits flourish on your soil  ;D

[supersprout]

I'm going to try red clover too this year from OGC :)

[Pigface51]

I go with Phacalia (great for attracting lacewings as well as Bumblebees) and Comfrey - I know Comfrey will spread, but have found an old rusted oil drum (well, aboiut 75% of an old drum) which I have painstakenly dug & sunk into the plot. The comfrey is plated inside the drum, which (hopefully) will keep the roots/spreading under control.

I intend to try red clover and buckwheat next year (as well as the phacalia & comfrey)

Fenugeek (or so I've been told) can attract small rodents onto the plot  :o