Alan Gould wrote in message ...
It is an excellent organic way to condition soil. We have been doing it
for more years than we choose to remember. There are a wide variety of
green manure seed available for differing uses of the area. Mustard is
very good, but as it is a brassica it should be avoided on veg. patches
to be used for cabbages etc. Similarly soil being prepared to grow e.g.
sweet corn, should not be green manured with grazing rye, or
agricultural lupins used on an area intended for peas and beans. Green
manuring should be seen as part of the garden's crop rotational plan.

The Chase/Organic Gardening Catalogue offers many varieties of green
manure seed with very helpful cultural hints, sowing times, densities
etc. at:
www.OrganicCatalog.com


Thanks for that. I am hoping to use my new allotment to grow
vegetables, including cabbages, so I will avoid mustard. But this
raises a more general question about how to rotate crops sensibly.
Is there some comprehensive database of compatible and incompatible
crops for rotation purposes? The Chase Organic Gardening Catalogue,
although full of interesting stuff, didn't seem to help on that
particular issue, but I may have missed something.

The August "Gardening Which" article on green manures also reported
particularly good results from phacelia and crimson clover. Are
there any contra-indications for using these as green manures?


Ken Cohen