Plotholders on our allotment site use a lot of green manure-the site is partly sandy at one end and heavy clay at the other.Most users are very happy with the result and they usually dig it in in mid January when the soil is quite damp and in a good condition for digging it in.As I have said in my earlier post ,few of our plotholders trust horse manure obtained from local farms as they do not know the origin of the material eaten by the horses,and it is almost impossible to find out-stable owners and farmers will tell you it is fine,when it generally isnt.Until Dow Chemical Company stops producing the offending herbicide,I will not touch it.I would be very surprised if noone else (apart from Bob)on this gardening forum uses Ryecorn or Ryegrass,and has some experience in sourcing a supplier apart from Tuckers
Michael
On Tuesday, 14 January 2014 11:33:24 UTC, michael wrote:
I try to plant green manure these days supplemented with my own compost and fish blood and bone.I have had bad experience with local rotted horse manure containing pesticide residues,and have given up using it.I tend to sow a green manure in mid August,after for example peas and potatoes have been taken up.I sow the seeds in 2" deep grooves about a foot apart as this protects attack by pigeons before germination,then dig it in in mid January so that the grown green manure has rotted away by April. I normally use a green manure called Ryecorn,which I obtain from Tuckers.Unfortunately fresh seed for this crop tends now only to be available in mid September from Tuckers,which I find somewhat late to obtain good growth by mid winter. This year I have changed to Italian Ryegrass,since fresh years seed becomes available in May,and this has grown very well from its sowing last August. I think that generally I would prefer Ryecorn,since it produces a thicker leaf and stronger root system,but it is important to use fresh seed since the germination falls off very rapidly. I would like to know whether anyone in this group has experience of sowing green manure in August for digging-in in midwinter,and where they get their seed from. Michael