[Axe]

i am moving to a new 3 bedroom house on friday 26th with a large garden which me and the better half have decided to split..i get the left side for my vegetable plot..she gets the right side for plants and grassy parts for the kids!.

i have an area about 12x3 metres and i was going to put rye grass in as green manure ready for march for my first crop (as i will be to busy decorating to do any gardening this year)...However, i wonder if its too late for this, so i presume an alternative is to put manure on and turn it? ,leaving it chunky for the frost to break it all down?...also do i need to manure it all?, as im aiming to grow onions,beetroot, carrots and various other small crops ..potatoes i am just going to grow in bags.

i am as new to gardening as i gets really, i have grown peppers and chilli's and other herbs in pots as a start, but now would like to upgrade all this with my new garden.

any advice would be more than welcome.

thanks
Gary.

[Axe]

i also have a separate area which i will be putting a greenhouse and shed..but thats going to be next years projects!

[Ricey]

You can sow Italian rye grass now. Add a little red clover.
This page is quite useful http://www.greenmanure.co.uk/italian_rye.htm .
Do some research on green manures before deciding because they all do different jobs. Some will be better for root crops whilst others are better for Brassicas ect. It may take a little planning but it's worthwhile.

I'm not a fan of leaving bare patches/beds over winter and green manures will help with weed supression as well as soil conditioning.
I've sown Rye, Clover, Field Beans and Alfalfa on half my plot and it looks great.

Good luck with the move mate.

[Axe]

thanks for the reply..i will certainly look into it  for the root growing variety...and i will be glad when the move is over lol ..im sat with boxes everywhere at the moment!

[Ricey]

Dont forget to put those boxes in the compost bin after ur move -)

[Axe]

you know...i never gave a compost heap a thought!..will have to steal more of my wifes patch lol