[Swing Swang]

Been thinking after JH raved about red clover in his latest newsletter.

Now my leeks are well-established could I interplant/underplant them with red clover as a green manure?

Logic being that it would reduce my need to weed, and it would get turned into the soil as I harvest. I tend only to fork over the ground that the leeks are in as I as I harvest them so as to keep the soil reasonably compact. I then follow the leeks with brassicas.

One thing that concerns me is that the clover would fix nitrogen, which might encourage the leeks to put on a lot of soft leafy growth over the autumn/early winter which is something that I don't want them to do as it could make them loss frost hardy, and some of my leeks will stand until March.

Opinions please.

SS

[Yorkie]

I'd never thought about doing it, but my concern would be competition for water and nutrients

[sunshineband]

I'm not sure the leeks would appreciate the competition -- they like to stand alone 

[1jim]

just come back from a few days in wales, we visited the centre for alternative technologies (well worth a visit by the way) and they had quite a few "allotment"/garden veg areas, one of these beds had brassicas undersown with cimson clover and they all looked to be doing well

[sunshineband]

Yes, cabbages like this, especially as the clover sets nitrogen and boosts their leafy growth.
 

Great to go to places and get new ideas, isn't it? 

Onions and leeks however do much better in 'clean' ground with no competition from weeds, and therefore presumably green manure undersowings