[carrotlovers]

Hi all. Got my hands on a pack of Kings Green Manure Winter Field Beans.
Just wanted to know if they're any good for overwintering, or a pain in the  :!: to remove once planted.
I'm looking to use them instead of manure ('cos I'm struggling to get hold of some on our site. Once it turns up, people swarm round it like ants round sugar). How much of a benefit is it to the soil, and can it successfully replace manure, or would I need manure as well?
Any help/pointers would be appreciated.

[WG.]

Field beans grown as green manure will add nitrogen (from the root nodules), and some humus from the roots and haulm after digging in.  Nothing else.

Manure adds huge amounts of humus along with NPK and many many trace elements.  That's the reason folks swarm around "like ants around sugar"!  

If you cannot get manure, you should plan on making yourself vast amounts of compost to close the nutrient cycle.

[carrotlovers]

Cheers WG. Looks like I'll haver to keep my eyes open for the next load of manure, and become 'one of the ants'. I already have two compost bins on my plot, but they don't seem to produce anywhere near enough compost to do the entire plot.

[noshed]

I grew field beans last winter and they grew well. I left them a bit long because the bees liked them so I just composted the tops. If you've got spare ground you could grow them - or just sow some broad beans. You can eat them.

[green fingers]

I was interested in using green manures and bought some tares and clover earlier this year.  I duly
 broadcast them, (thinking I was very clever)  whether it was too dry or not I cant remember, but the tares never germinated and the clover was very disappointing, so next year I will stick to manure.  More annoyingly my next door allotment gardener sowed mustard - and it romped away!

[Martin]

I just put in some field beans, Hungarian grazing rye, and winter tares. The beans and the rye seem to be OK to sow until November, but the tares should be sown by October so I may be too late (but then, I'm in the soft south   )

Good chart here