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Talkback: Green manure

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
This year i am going to take on a member of the families garden who has recently past away would it harm if i did not use green manurs ?
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Hi Kate
    i've just sown some field beans as a green manure, but when should i dig them in- should i let them flower first?
    Jenny
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Hi Kate,
    Our garden contains reddish dry sandy soil containing stones, and is difficult to dig, also on a hill. Next spring I'd like to grow fruit and veg on the site. Could you suggest the best way to improve the soil please? Would you use green manure in this case?
    Thanks
    Hannah
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I would like to sow green manure on my allotment but as I am constantly battling with bindweed I don't see how I could dig it in in the spring. Any suggestions?
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Jenny - technically you should dig in the plants before they flower, as they use energy to produce flowers, which would otherwise be dug back into the soil to feed your next crop. But I always let a few flower - especially clover. Cut the foliage down two-three weeks before you want to use the bed. I would leave the roots in the soil so their nitrogen-fixing nodules can feed your plants. Follow with a nitrogen-hungry crop, such as brassicas.

    Hannah - you'd probably be better off adding home-made compost and well-rotted horse manure. This will help bind the soil's particles together, making it more water retentive and rich in humus. Is it difficult to dig because it's stony/rocky, or is it compacted? If you add manure/compost now cover it with plastic sheeting to prevent the nutrients leaching from the soil. You shouldn't need to dig it in - worms will do that job for you. Regarding the stones, remove them by hand or sieving if you intend to grow root veg such as carrots and parsnips, but they shouldn't be too troublesome if you're just planting a few fruit trees.

    Ann - probably best to deal with the bindweed first, then sow a green manure afterwards. Now's a good time to deal with bindweed as its growth will be slowed until spring. A green manure will suppress weed growth to an extent, so if you dig the patch over and remove every tiny piece of bindweed root, and then sow a green manure over it, you might be lucky.

    Kate
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    We have a 50 metre band of a double row of trees around our garden, we've been keeping the entire area free of weeds and grass but this leaves the clay exposed, would you recommend a green manure for this/something else, or would the roots of the trees themselves hang on to the nutrients? It wouldn't really be practical for us to dig it in as it's approx 50m x 2m. Also we don't want something that would self seed in the lawn, although we wouldn't mind as long as it's growth rate didn't exceed that of the grass...i.e. unlike daisies etc which result in grass being mowed more regularly than needed. Thanks!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I really must object to Marie Counter's email. Leave James Sinclair-Alexander's words alone, it's the high spot of the month and I read the comments to my partner!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I am new to gardening and I would like if possible an easy solution of improving my garden soil without the backbreaking. It's heavy soil waterlogged after heay rain, dry in summer, I can't grow much in it and its very dificult to work with.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    After reading the blogs about green manure I have decided to sow Field Beans. The question I have is how thick should I sow the seeds?
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I have just watched Monty's video about sowing green manure and he answered my question. However now I have decided to sow Grazing Rye because our soil is clayey.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Hi Kate, Two years ago I made the mistake of having turf laid onto the existing soil in our new build house in County Durham. I have since learnt that the soil is mostly heavy clay and generally awful for lawns. I have also learnt that the soil was not rotavated as promised and my wife and I are pulling all kinds of rubbish out of the soil which the builders couldn't be bothered to remove. I read somewhere that if you really want a beautiful lawn, you need to put down up to 30cm of high quality top soil. Obviously this will be very expensive and excavating 80 square metres of heavy clay soil to the depth of 30cm will be a heck of a job. I have just read that you can improve heavy clay soil by rotavating it and mixing in sharp sand, gypsum and green manure. Is this correct? and if so, do have any idea of how much of each i would need for an 80m2 lawn?
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