stupid question

[Pottypotter]

whats green manure

[Alice]

Hello PottyPotter, green manure is plants which are grown then just dug back into the soil as manure. eg clover and alfalfa. I'm sure other grapes will be along to tell you what their favourite is.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I think that the plan is not to ever leave earth bare as the rain will wash all the goodness out, PP. Also, have something growing on your soil will stop the weeds growing.

When the green manure is dug in (and we're talking sort of 6" lawn type growth rather than jungle/overgrown growth) then it breaks down and adds more goodness to the soil. This is one of the things that we'd like to incorporate into our rotation.

As Alice says, a clever grape will be along to let you know how it works in practice!

[Two_Sheds]

You can buy special seeds for green manuring: phacelia, clover, alfalfa etc. But if you think about it, anything, even weeds, can be a green manure, if you cut and compost it. This winter I've grown lots of Limnanthes Poached Egg Plant as ground cover. I'm hoping they will attract early hoverflies to eat up the blackfly on my broad beans.

[green fingers]

Hi All, another silly question, i have only had my allotment 1 year and I have planted onions this year - what other vegetables can I grow after them?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hi All, another silly question, i have only had my allotment 1 year and I have planted onions this year - what other vegetables can I grow after them?

I think that we all have variations on the theme of rotation, but I follow John Seymour Self Sufficiency (4 yr rotation), and after onions (which fall into his 'roots' category, I would manure the plot in the autumn and put in spuds next year.

Actually, I've just re read your question, and after the onions have been lifted in the summer, I think that I'd pop a catch crop of lettuce or radish in which are short growing before the manuring.

Hope that helps - if not lots of other grapes will be able to shed light on it!

[Snadger]

Hi All, another silly question, i have only had my allotment 1 year and I have planted onions this year - what other vegetables can I grow after them?

I presume you mean this year? If so. and depending on your crop rotation you could grow legumes or brassica's.
Your onions should be out of the ground by high summer and if you like trying to get at least two crops per piece of land and sometimes even three as I do per season the options are endless.

It really depends on what you enjoy growing and eating? Winter brassica's including Kale, Brocolli, winter cabbage, savoy cabbage are what I planted after onions last year and they were very successful!.

French beans are quick maturing or you could sow peas or beans for overwintering.

Whatever you do don't leave the land fallow, at the very least sow a green manure crop!

[Stroppy scotte]

We had no success with green manure last time because judging by the bird prints , they had the lot. Still worth another try on unused ground---not that there will be much of it!!!

[Pottypotter]

Thanks for replies I'm hoping to take over the plot next to me so will give the green manure a go if I can't cope with it all.