Thread: Green Manure
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Old 29-08-2010, 10:40 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
David WE Roberts[_2_] David WE Roberts[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2010
Posts: 185
Default Green Manure


"someone" wrote in message
...

"harry" wrote in message
...
Anybody out there tried this? Is it a waste of time? I bought some
seed but it seems expensive, there's gotta be a cheaper alternative.
I wondered about some cheap lawn grass seed.
I suppose you want a fast growing annual thay gets dug in before it
has chance to drop any seed.


You don't want grass seed as such, you want something that fixes nitrogen,
like Phacelia, red clover, or mustard.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gs3.php

Phacelia is especially pretty, we saw a field of it in France some years
ago, didn't know what it was at the time.



Thanks for the useful link.
One problem with using green manure extensively over the winter period is
that you have to clear this season's crops first which may be a bit late for
everything but Hungarian grazing rye.
Given that rye grass can be a pernicious weed because of the creeping root
system I do wonder how easy it will be to keep it within a plot and
completely readicate it afterwards.

Cheers

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

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