I'm researching no-dig methods which recommend never leaving the soil in
my new allotment bare. I've now narrowed the non-dig manures down to
field beans, phacelia and douglasii as appropriate to the rotation.

Question. The peas/beans and brassica beds are going to be mostly bare
(at soil level) for most of the time. Is it a good idea to underplant,
and if so with what?

thanks for any thoughts/experience.

Derek

On 17 Jul 2013 06:48:20 GMT, Derek Turner wrote:

I'm researching no-dig methods which recommend never leaving the soil in
my new allotment bare. I've now narrowed the non-dig manures down to
field beans, phacelia and douglasii as appropriate to the rotation.

Question. The peas/beans and brassica beds are going to be mostly bare
(at soil level) for most of the time. Is it a good idea to underplant,
and if so with what?

thanks for any thoughts/experience.

Derek

Phacelia and limnanthes (douglasii) are very pretty and attract
insects. Sow them wherever you have bare soil.
The best results of green manuring I ever had were when I planted
mustard after broad beans and potatoes, and just covered the lot with
black plastic in autumn and left it alone. In Spring when I uncovered
the plot I had some dandelions and bindweed looking pale, but lovely
friable soil. You could do the same with other green manures.
I've planted some green manures in the gullies between the rows of
potatoes and dug them in when digging up the potatoes.
All in the past as sadly I've given up my allotment.

Pam in Bristol

In article ,
says...

I'm researching no-dig methods which recommend never leaving the soil in
my new allotment bare. I've now narrowed the non-dig manures down to
field beans, phacelia and douglasii as appropriate to the rotation.

Green manures are normally dug into the soil, what are you going to
do with the top crop yours produce?

There are cother ways to "not leave the soil bare"; including
covering it with vegetable mulches (chopped bracken or nettles, lawn
cuttings , pulled weeds, seaweed) or cardboard/plastic/fibre such as old
wool carpets . Last year we were away for a couple of months and I left
a veg bed unplanted, covered with an old tarp. It's been lovely clean
soil to grow in this year.

This far north, (relatively low light levels and short growing
season) underplanting bulky crops can result in scrawny plants
struggling for the light.

Janet.

On Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:49:38 +0100, Janet wrote:

Green manures are normally dug into the soil, what are you going to
do with the top crop yours produce?

Either cover them with black plastic for a while or hoe them off and
leave them as a mulch, I thought. Field beans will be cut off and
composted leaving the roots (and nodules) in.

I'm in Jersey so light is less of a problem

On Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:47:40 +0100, Pam Moore wrote:

The best results of green manuring I ever had were when I planted
mustard after broad beans and potatoes, and just covered the lot with
black plastic in autumn and left it alone.

I'll look again at mustard, then, as it's a brassica it would fit with
them in the rotation, no?

"Derek Turner" wrote

I'm researching no-dig methods which recommend never leaving the soil in
my new allotment bare. I've now narrowed the non-dig manures down to
field beans, phacelia and douglasii as appropriate to the rotation.

Question. The peas/beans and brassica beds are going to be mostly bare
(at soil level) for most of the time. Is it a good idea to underplant,
and if so with what?

thanks for any thoughts/experience.


This all depends on your soil type, if I tried no-dig I would end up with
concrete just like I have at the moment with it being so dry. Nearly broke
my foot trying to dig up our garlic earlier this week.
If you have heavy clay/silt I am certain it won't work and if you try to use
a green manure, I did only once, you can end up with brick making clay and
having to bank your spuds like making a dry stone wall! Wish I could find a
good source of sawdust/manure as apposed to straw/manure as it's superb at
breaking up clay into a tilth.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK