[gowing238]

After my queries in a previous post regarding the use of green manure, i have just noticed that monty don will be covering the benefits on gardeners world tonight!! BBC2 at 8:30!!

What a coincidence!!!

[Springlands]

Thank you Growing238 - have just set on Sky+ as am also interested in green manures.

[strangerachael]

He didn't go into much detail though did he? I've got a useful booklet on green manures, which I got from Garden Organic - just checked the website and it's 65p (not sure about postage) GUIDE HERE








Fixed link.

[strangerachael]

Sorry, just tried that link and it doesn't work for some reason. Try http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/index.php and look for the 'Garden Organic  Guides'

[mumofstig]

This one takes you to the guides 
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/publications/guides.php

[arugula]

And the first link is fixed now too. 

[mumofstig]

  

[arugula]

Only because I didn't notice you'd posted it too..... 

[VegPlotter]

Hi
I've just ordered some of the hungarian grazing rye as recommended by Monty Don last night.  I ordered it from this website:

http://www.greenmanure.co.uk

There is a useful guide to green manures on the site.

Hope this is of interest.
Julia

[shokkyy]

One thing I'm not clear about, so hopefully someone can answer this for me. If you're using green manure over the winter, would you also put down garden compost or not? If yes, presumably you'd do that first and then sow the green manure afterward?

[mumofstig]

I'd save your compost for somewhere else 

[Salmo]

I watched Mr Don as he said you only need to sow it thinly and then proceeded to sow the grains almost touching. A plant every 3 inches is adequate as each plant will put out 7/8 tillers or more.

If you decide to put compost as well the rye will mop up any free nitrogen and turn it into leaf to be released slowly as the rye breaks down after digging.

[mumofstig]

but doesn't the rotting down of the top growth actually take nitrogen from the soil at first, and that's why you have to wait a good few weeks after digging in the green manure, before you can plant anything.


Last year I found that green manure really did improve the condition of the soil, but added no benefits  in the form of nutrients

[Salmo]

As I understand it:-

Bacteria involved in the rotting process build their protien from carbon, which they get from woody materials such as straw and stems, and nitrogen, which they get from green material, hence the need to have the right balance in a compost heap.

When a lot of green material is first dug in it heats the same as a compost heap and the newly rotting material is not ideal for planting.

[Yorkie]

Re Salmo's last post, I agree that it is usually recommended that several weeks are left between digging in and subsequent planting, in order to allow time for the manure to decompose in situ.

Mind you, some of my ryegrass clumps were still there months later ...