Green manure, animal manure or both somehow??

[juslh]

I am at the end of my first year with my allotment and soil improvement is high on my agenda. What would I be wise to do over the winter? Plant green manure, or add animal manure, or is there some way of doing both at different times for maximum impact? Any advice would be great! Thanks.

[Bill Door]

Hi Juslh.

This is a difficult one. You may get several replies with several +2 suggestions.

Personally, i would not use the animal manure unless it was well rotted. Even then I would be wary due to the potential presence of weed seeds and weed killer. You should also check that the manure is straw based rather than wood chipping based. If you can still see the wood chips do not use it, leave it to rot down more.

So depending on your ground (weedy, clay, stones or really good soil) I would go for green manures. Avoid mustard seeds for this year and cover as much as possible.

Make sure you chop down the green manures and dig them in well before you want to sow any seeds.

If you use hungarian grazing rye (good for clay soil) be prepared for heavy digging. The rye produces a substantial root system but it does break down the soil for the following year.

Finally I would say do what ever you feel you are capable of. Meaning don't give yourself too much work. What is easy for me (no longer working) may not be suitable for you!

enjoy your gardening

Bill

[bario1]

I've never had any success with green manures - by the time my last crops come out (around now), it's too late for anything substantial to germinate and grow, and by the time it does get going (March/April) I want the bed clear for my Spring sowings. That might be because I'm in Scotland though, and I have a very small plot?
Personally, I would 'lasagne' mulch over winter with layers of cardboard, animal manure, straw, grass clippings etc up to about a foot deep. In Spring you'll have the most incredible soil, something you just can't achieve, in my opinion, by digging in a few straggly bean plants or grass!
Still, it seems to work for some, unless the green manure seed sellers are having one over on all us growers!
As the above poster said, you'll get many different answers and opinions on this topic.

[Scoot]

Personally, I find it easiest to just get a load of horse manure and dig it in. Got half the garden done just need my onions, Leeks and parsnips out before I can dig the rest in.

[WendyC]

Personally, I find it easiest to just get a load of horse manure and dig it in.

Ah now you see you have just given a good reason for using green manures. Some people can't get hold of animal manure easily. Also manure is heavy stuff to move and some folks can't manage it whereas we can all lift a seed packet! Granted there is the digging in afterwards, or you could just chop and drop.
I use both. I manure a quarter of my plots each year and use green manures in any other beds that are going to be empty, usually the peas and beans bed. I am trying caliente mustard this year on my onion bed. Last year I sowed phacelia too early. It grew massively and then all fell over leaving gaps. My thinking is that by using a variety the balance of nutrients will even out.

[Guest]

As already said what ever works, I think the main thing is don't leave the soil bare over winter

[Kirk]

Never tried Green Manure, really for gardening purposes never seen the point of it.

It just appears too close to sowing a weed to later dig it into the ground with the intent of killing it off before it takes over.

[Jungle Jane]

I think chop & drop is great for the soil,I've been doing it for a few years since reading about it on here a few years back. When my sweetcorn finishes,the bed is covered with a mulch of sweetcorn cuttings,same with runner beans,marigolds,not tomato or potato,the nutrients are much greater in what we've grown than in anything else I think & it rots down by early spring,worms working the soil,weeds can't get in there & instant mulch!