Green manure

[jeremyf]

Hi, I'm looking for a green manure mix that will allow me to take cuts of organic matter as a mulch.

I have plenty of/too much space so was planning to sow say a 100 sqr meter area with green manure for a few years and mow it periodically so I can mulch fruit/veg crops with the cuttings and a way to keep spare land in use and free of weeds. I only have a garden mower so the maximum cut height is about 10cm. After a few years, this area would then be ploughed and used to grow veg and another area would be sown with green manure etc. Most mixes I have seen focus on fertility but I'm after purely the cut organic matter and possibly soil structure improvements. I'm on clay. Ideally, the first cut should be april/may before the weeds germinate.

Any ideas

Jeremy

[jeremyf]

[goodlife]

You'll be looking towards clover family then....
http://www.cotswoldseeds.com/green_manures.html

[jeremyf]

Thanks, yes, they do some mixes that may be suitable. I have read clover requires very tilled/ flat ground and may not do so well with clay. I would buy some to try but dont want to spend £8 on postage. There appear to be so many types with rye in the title - Italian, grazing, hungarian, forage and rygrass. I need to get my head around the differences.

jeremy

[lancelotment]

Hi Jeremy, found the Tuckers Seeds catalogue has some really good information in it about green manure types and purposes so may be worth a look.  Lance

[triffid]

Great info on the Cotswold Seeds site, Goodlife: the more I read about green manures the more I realise I don't know.  :)
I've only dabbled myself (phacelia and red clover, in individual veg beds) but here's the company I've used. May be helpful to note for anyone needing garden/allotment quantities rather than smallholding/farm quantities):
http://www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk/shop/Green_Manures.html

[campanula]

look at hungarian grazing rye or ryecorn - these are also long term green manures with the benefit of extensive top growth to cut for mulching. Edwin Tucker seeds have good ranges for reasonable prices.

[sawfish]

I just bought some phacelia from here. Its amazing for bees.
http://www.sowseeds.co.uk/

[jeremyf]

Thanks, some good sites there. I think its going to be some sort of white clover (apparently better than red clover if you are going to mow it frequently)/ Italian ryegrass mix.

Another thing I have just read about is undersowing. I plan to get some red clover to undersow my squashes/pumpkins and sweetcorn and possibly climbing beans. When the crops finish, you leave the clover there to take over and dig it in the following spring.

http://www.veganorganic.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=99999999