green manure

[cstopallot]

I have successfully grown winter tares as a green manure - now the time has come to dig it in - and this is proving very difficult - any advice please??

[zazen999]

Hi.

In what context?

We just chopped ours down with a hoe and munched it in with a fork and spade???

[cstopallot]

do I need to get every last bit of root out? is it OK to ldig it up and leave it on surface of soil to die down a bit and then dig it in?

[Hazel at the Hill]

You need to turn it into the soil and let it rot down (doesn't take long to do that).

That would have been a lot easier it you had sown it it rows, so that you could get your spade in, then invert it row at a time. That was a great tip I was given just as I was about to broadcast the seed across the plot - and very good advice it was too.

I can only suggest a sharp edge to your spade!

[Two_Sheds]

Bob Flowerdew has given up using Rye and Tares as they are pernicious weeds and hard to dig in. He now uses Limnanthes Douglasii (but dig it in before it all flowers): And sow to bed... | Magazine | The Observer

[bluemoon]

do I need to get every last bit of root out? is it OK to ldig it up and leave it on surface of soil to die down a bit and then dig it in?

The idea of tares is that they fix nitrogen in the roots so you leave the roots to rot down. We've been using it for years and simply chop down the top growth then turn the soil over so the whole thing is just a mess of top growth, roots and soil - we usually do this in March and then leave the land free until the brassicas go in in late May, we just hoe off any weeds/regenerating tares in those couple of months.

[zazen999]

Aye, we just munch it all down - which is somewhere between chopping and total digging in.

[cstopallot]

thanks for all the replies - the tip about growing in rows sounds like a good idea for next year.