Bob Flowerdew on green manure

[caroline7758]

Just heard a discussion on green manures on GQT. Bob Flowerdew said a lot of the seeds sold as green manure (tares & vetches, rye grass etc) are fine for farmers but tend to re-grow after digging-in. He suggested claytonia (miner's lettuce), Valerianella (corn salad) and Limnanthes (poached egg plant) as easier to use - and the first two are edible!

[caroline7758]

[Unwashed]

I heard that too.  He's been saying this for several years, and like pretty much everything else he says, I would agree.

[Deb P]

Poached egg plants.........great for attracting pollinators, but lordy, do they self seed EVERYWHERE! Beware! ;D

[saddad]

Claytonia will self seed... I turned a raised bed where I grew it at least five years ago and have a nice winter salad coming on...  :)

[gp.girl]

Green manures shouldn't be allowed to set seed.

Poached egg plants.........great for attracting pollinators, but lordy, do they self seed EVERYWHERE! Beware! ;D

Try Nasturtions, even the variagated ones are now everywhere. Only 10 seeds to start with!

[saddad]

Try stopping them....  :-X

[Digeroo]

I use a lot of green manure.  Well drained soil is prone to leeching.  Personally never had problems with green manure regrowing.  I just turn it over and under with no green showing.   

[Chrispy]

Rye grass you don't want to use, but rye is brilliant, just strim it down, if a bit regrows then just give it another strim or dig it in.
I should think vetch is easy enough to kill, well I will find out soon, nearly half my plot is covered in a rye/vetch mix.

[lillian]

I've grown vetch as a green manure. Unfortunately it was all eaten by rabbits ::)  Might give the claytonia ago as the bunnies don't seem to touch it.

[caroline7758]

That's useful to know, lillian- thanks.

[gerkin]

this is what i have anyone used this?

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/all-other-vegetable-seeds/green-manure/gww5301TM

[Froglegs]

He also suggested chickweed  :o....I think I will stick to buckwheat.

[grawrc]

Just heard a discussion on green manures on GQT. Bob Flowerdew said a lot of the seeds sold as green manure (tares & vetches, rye grass etc) are fine for farmers but tend to re-grow after digging-in. He suggested claytonia (miner's lettuce), Valerianella (corn salad) and Limnanthes (poached egg plant) as easier to use - and the first two are edible!

I grow these as green manure and the first two as winter salad.I think they are relatively smaller plants - or at least with smaller root systems than some of the others. I also grow phacelia and let it self-seed at will removing it when it gets in the way! I've never had a problem with tares or vetches. I do find the Hungarian grazing rye a bit harder to get rid of, but it's also quite pretty!

[flattyre]

If you wait until the 'flower' is just opening on the grazing rye and then mow it , the plant will not regrow when dug in. This can be later than you thought you might do the job.
More information can be found via Go Organic....

[Chrispy]

If you wait until the 'flower' is just opening on the grazing rye and then mow it , the plant will not regrow when dug in. This can be later than you thought you might do the job.
More information can be found via Go Organic....

I read that, cut it down just before it flowers, but it's a type of grass, what on earth can the mean 'when it flowers'.
If you wait for the heads to start forming, by then it is 5ft tall!
I cut it down when it is about knee high.

[flattyre]

well that's why I used inverted commas -grasses are wind pollinated - and I'm sure you've seen the 'flowers' you tease!! ;D Anyway, the fact these things all get so big is precisely why Ol' Flowerdew was suggesting all that other stuff...