[chili]

as above where can i purchase some mustard seeds?
to be used as a green maure do i just chuck it over the area then once its grown turn it in to the soil?

many thanks

[Salmo]

http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=398&osCsid=b9ffb8914d1bced0fa694d24e9097e2d

As well as mustard you could try phacelia.

Knock the surface down as fine as you can get it. Sprinkle on seed so that they are about 2 inches apart. Rake into the surface.

Dig in any time before flowering. At about a foot high is easiest. It helps to cut it down and let it wilt. A Strimmer is good. If it is getting towards flowering and you do not have time to dig, just cut it down and leave it on the surface until you are ready. It may re-grow but that does not matter.

Phacelia usually overwinters but mustard is cut down by frost.

Leave a few bits of phacelia for the bees.

[tode]

Has anyone tried turning in fresh lawn mowings?
Tried a bit this Spring, and seemed to work well for runners, but am worried that if I really dig a packet in, it might turn the soil acid

[Potiron]

I was wondering if there could be any advantage to, mixing Mustard and Phacelie seed and sowing them in the same plot, as I am told Mustard will act as a 'disinfectant' in the soil killing nematodes, which attac roots and Phacelie which will improve the soil structure?

[Babyshoes]

I was wondering what class these green manures belong to? I have a vague idea in my head that mustard is a legume - is that right or am I imagining it?

If so, how would using green manure affect crop rotation? I would like to try it, but don't know enough about it!

[Yorkie]

I think mustard is a brassica, not sure about the others.

[Pompey Spud]

I'd try Kings Seeds as the prices are cheaper.

Also, check if your allotment belongs to NSALG like ours as the seeds are much cheaper from Kings with the special catalogue.

As Yorkie said, Mustard is a brassica so if your plot has club root, don't use it.

I use it after spuds as it messes with the Eel Worm breeding cycle.

My soil is quite heavy so I use Hungarian Grazing Rye as it has a more extensive root system and provides great humus when dug in, in March/April.

There are a few others that over winter but I feel if you let a Phacelia type manure flower for the bees etc it will seed again and you'd be constantly digging it out. Grow Marigolds round the edges instead with a few Sunflowers. Works for me

[jason g]

do you have to do a manual dig or can you rotavte it in?

[Potiron]

 Once the green manure has grown and been cut down, does it have to be left for a couple of weeks before it can be dug in ?

[Salmo]

You can dig it in when you like. No need to cut it but it is easier to dig in if it is wilted especially if it is 3 foot high. It does not matter if there are a few sticky out bits so rotorvating is OK. If anything re-grows chop it off when you prepare to plant your crops.

[Trillium]

Mustard is part of the cruciferae family, of which most brassicas are a member, as is horseradish and cress.

[BobandJack]

If you have an Asian grocers close by then you can get mustard seeds there, much, much cheaper than from seed companies - I paid 89 pence for a 400gm bag, one link here was showing nearly £3 for 225 grammes. It's exactly the same in terms of growing etc.  You can also use fenugreek seeds as a green manure, again available very cheaply in Asian shops.

[Salmo]

The smell of a packet of fenugreek seed is wonderful. What are others experience with growing it for green manure? I tried some last year and found it was not competative enough to smoother weeds.

It is a legume but apparently rarely fixes nitrogen on our climate.

[chili]

when you say asian grocer's do you mean the indian corner shop or something more asian?

[BobandJack]

Asian grocers as in sells to Indian & Pakistani communities not the ordinary corner shop - although, that said, they might get you some if you ask, there's a good chance they'll be using mustard seeds in their own family cooking.  Worth a try I reckon    It might be worth having a look on line at someone like East End foods, they might sell on line & it still might be cheaper than seed companies.