How exactly to dig in winter grazing rye?

[Croila]

If anyone's grown and dug in this stuff before, I'd really appreciate some advice please.

I've got a wee patch of ground in the bag garden which I'm sowed winter grazing rye back on the 4th of October. At the time, I took a note of what to do with it when it was all grown, being that you need to "cut the plants back and allow the folliage to wilt before digging stuff in to a depth of 6-8in".

I want to start getting rid of it today but I'm not sure exactly what to do. Should I cut it down to soil level and just leave the cuttings there on top of the soil? And when it goes yellow and dead looking, just fork it all in? And if I cut it today, how long should I wait before forking it in?

Sorry if these are really silly questions, but I've never grown green manure before!

Many thanks
C

[Hazel at the Hill]

I sow it in rough rows about 6" apart, then when it is about 6" high, I dig it in (i.e. put the spade between two rows, dig up a 'clod' and invert it on top of itself, so there is no green showing.)

That sounds tricky, but if you give each 'clod' a spin it falls naturally upsidedown - the roots from the rye hold it all together. That also sounds tricky, but it works!

I sow in rows to make it easier to insert the spade - if you've sown an even patch, you'll have to cut through with the spade each time, but it'll be worth persevering with a spade rather than a fork.

If you don't bury all the green tops of the rye properly, it just grows back, and is a right pain!

[Croila]

Thank you Hazel, that's ever so helpful. In fact ... I think it was you who told me about this rye grass to start with back last year!

I did sow an even patch, but to be honest, the bed it's in is so wee (about 3 foot by 10 foot), it shouldn't be too much hard work to get it all done.

The only thing is, it's awfully cold and windy here right now so I'm putting off going out into the garden to actually DO it!

But thank you again for the advice

[Alison]

I scatter mine all over the bed and then just fork it all in until it's all buried. Quite quick and easy to do.

[Two_Sheds]

Rye is a bogger to dig in. I used it once, lol.

Now I use things with shallower roots, like limnanthes, phacelia & alfalfa

[Croila]

I didn't find it that easy to dig in to be honest. As the patch of ground is not very big, I ended up just ripping it all out by hand and then used a spade to try and chop up and dig in. But I had an awful job covering it all up for some reason, and even now, there's a lot of it still lying chopped up on the surface.

I wonder if I should make sure it's all buried, or maybe it doesn't matter?

[Two_Sheds]

Bury it all, or it'll keep growing.

The usual advice with green manures is to hoe them off, leave them to wilt for a week, then dig them in

[Croila]

Thank you ... I was actually going to leave it lying on the top there but as I got stuck in, I think I went all wrong!

[ladylottie]

Rye is a bogger to dig in. I used it once, lol.

Now I use things with shallower roots, like limnanthes, phacelia & alfalfa

I've been thinking about using green manures (especially Rye) for some time but never got round to it, mainly because I've suspected it might be hard to dig it in. You have decided me against it!

May have a go with alfafa instead.