Green Manures

So - I've prepared a bed for my potatoes - cleared the weeds, dug it over, and then broadcast sowed a green manure - mainly grazing rye - so that I can incorporate it before planting my spuds next year.

However, the manure isn't coming up - how long should it take :cnfs: I sowed it on Saturday, and the Saturday before that, and nothing. I know that the birds haven't nicked the seed cos I can still see some of the seed.

Am I being too impatient?

Brian

P.S.

 

OK - so you've discovered that I'm impatient !!

First small shoots coming through now - phew!

 

errrr whats green manure plz?

 

Thanks John. Well you learn something everyday as I had never heard of it.:thumb:

 

My green manure seeds are on their way hopefully.

Gardening is teaching me to be more patient too lol cause I want it now

 

What I didn't realise about Green Manures is that there are a wide range and different ones are appropriate for different purposes. Mustard that JWK mentioned is good for breaking up clay soils - allegedly - and as I have very clay/claggy soil - I'd should be sewing that.

Never mind - the Rye is in and I am stupidly excited about it. Stupid given all I'm going to do is kill it early next year !!

 

I've got Phacelia coming. I saw it or read about it and it looks pretty too

 

yep very pretty:thumb:

 

Apart from adding organic matter, breakingup the soil and limiting weeds the best green manure crops also add nitrogen to the soil. Clovers and lupins are used for this specific purpose. Green manure crops are very useful in the veggie rotation program to feed the soil after three years or so of growing veggies.

Funny that you mentioned rye, I was thinking to sow it in hte meadow to give some winter greenery, the cows were there for a week and ate it bare :D

 

I`m afraid my first time using green manure ended in failure.

I used it not for veggies-that comes next year, but to protect my soil for spring planting a year or two ago.

Unfortunately I went and fell for the pretty flowers that came-again the phacelia ( odd that I called it tansy?), along with some others, and have since kept it.

I am a girt big soft Jessie

 

Lol hope I don't do that cause it's going in my veggie patch and I got no other place to grow em if not