Green manures

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Green manures

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VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 13 6:31 pm Post subject: Green manures

Is anyone a particular fan of green manures? And if so, any favourites? And is now the time to sow them, or later?

Quite a bit of the existing veg bed is bare and we are digging up lawn to make new veg beds - and we only have a few crops in as have been concentrating on getting garden into the shape we want etc.

All of which means lots of spaces for weeds to grow. So I thought green manures might be a good idea to sow and leave in over the winter until we are ready to put next season's veg in. I don't think we are going to have much else to over-winter except leeks.

But have only used them once or twice at our old allotment, so would welcome others' views/advice.

We're on the edge of the fens with fairly good loam, soil neutral to alkaline (and some bits of garden full of rubble!).

OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 13 7:14 am Post subject:
If there is still time for a green manure to grow then there is probably still time for a crop that you can eat? You could sow direct spring cabbage, kohl rabi, swiss chard, spring onions for example. The other thing to consider is the black plastic weed suppressing blanket. Held down with a few bricks it stops anything growing, saving you a lot of time in the spring.

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 13 9:15 am Post subject:
Oats here, then when grown we pull and either use as a mulch or just dig in when we want to use the ground. It all depends on how much spare ground you have.

john of wessex

Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 2130

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 13 9:52 am Post subject:
Fire up the old Chicken Tractor?

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