Green Manure Update

I have tried three green manures over this winter and they are all still standing*

Grazing Rye

Winter Tares

Clover

These patches are due to be planted up with (1) peas and beans, (2) potatoes and (3) brassicas respectively.  I now have to decide whether to a. vigorously dig them in b. mow and mulch or c. cover with weed suppressant fabric.   My current thinking is 1b, 2a, 3c.  This is partially dictated by the amount of organic mulch I currently have available.

*Cue song:

Green Manures

I have been making an effort to use green manures this year. It is so easy to miss the boat, and I will admit I have been a bit late in sowing.  

Where the alliums were (and you can still see the winter leeks) I have sown Winter Tares:

Winter Tares

And where I lifted the potatoes Grazing Rye is recently germinated:

Grazing Rye

Where the peas were I sowed red clover a few weeks ago.  As they were slow to germinate the weeds grew up and I have done my best to remove the groundsel, chickweed and speedwell to give it a chance.  (The flowers in the foreground were planted out after the broad beans.)

Clover - plus weeds and flowers!

 One reason for my renewed efforts with green manures is my concern that weed suppressant fabric, while wonderful for suppressing weeds, is bad for worms and soil health if used for more than the short term.  I will continue to use it for the brassica patch from planting out time to harvest, and short term ground preparation elsewhere, but lift it at the end of the season.  Step in green manure!

Greens

The cabbages are coming into their own

Believe it or not the cabbage on the right is a "white" cabbage whereas the one on the left is  the heart of green cabbage "Wheeler's Imperial"

The old onion patch was sown with green manure just a month ago and now looks like this:

21/09/14

and here's the proof:

17/08/14

This reminds me of the green water we saw last week in Bath's ancient baths:

While we were away the courgettes turned into marrows:

It must be something in the water!