[francisgreen]

Hello all. I have quite a good sized plot, and want to try a green manure, the soil is quite heavy with some clay, what would be good to dig in to improve condition? Many thanks.

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the forums, francisgreen

If you feel like it, why don't you pop over to the welcome forum and introduce yourself there too?

I'm not a particular expert on green manures, hopefully someone else will be, but there's loads of information on the Info section of the site - including an article on green manures here

http://www.allotment-garden.org/fertilizer/green-manures.php

I hope that gives you a few ideas in the meantime

[Salmo]

I tried mustard, phacelia and fenugreek last year. All were planted in September with the idea of covering the ground until I was ready to dig.

Mustard soon covered the ground. It went to flower quite quickly and needed strimming before digging. It is a brassica and so may be difficult in rotations. It was battered by the winter and sort of survived.

Phacelia probably covered the ground quicker than mustard and was easier to dig in. It is not related to any veg crop so can be grown anywhere in the rotation. It survived the winter well. This is my favorite as it grows easily and is easy to manage.

Fenugreek did not give dense ground cover and allowed weeds to grow. It did not like cold weather and was killed in the winter. I will try some in the Summer to give it a fair trial. It is not related to other veg and is nitrogen fixing athough it apparently needs warm weather to do this.

[GreenOwl]

Here's another link on Green Manures:

http://gardeningdata.co.uk/soil/green_manure/green_manure.php

Cheers

[strangerachael]

I've done lots of phacelia - it cuts down and digs in easily, also you can sow a few in a corner to let them flower - the bees like it and you could maybe even save some seed from them. I have also used clover - it gives quite a good dense cover and  sets nitrogen - stick to the annual variety though. I have also tried buckwheat but it was a bit straggly and didn't prevent weeds. I hear mustard is good but I daren't try it as I have had some clubroot in the past.

[francisgreen]

Thanks all. Very helpful, will let you know how it goes.

[woodburner]

If it's clay subsoil you want to break up, buckwheat or field beans seem to be the way to go.

[Christine]

These two worked a treat for me.

[dougsta]

I grew Italian ryegrass this winter on a clay-ish soil
Have yet to cut it and dig it in though
Seems to have stopped the weeds