Avoid leaving your garden beds bare - sow a green manure crop to improve soil structure and naturally improve the overall health of your garden. Ideal as part of your crop rotation plan, green manure crops are easy to sow and grow during the cooler months, which is the ideal preparation for spring and summer crops.
The health and composition of your soil is critical to the success of your garden and the health of your plants. Much of what we do, as gardeners and farmers, can improve or destroy the structure and health of our soils.
Poor or neglected soils are generally the root cause of most plant problems. Gardeners who neglect what happens beneath the surface of the soil are invariably disappointed with the overall health of their garden, as well as the performance of their plants.
The soil is the living network which supports plant growth. Water, nutrients and oxygen are all part of the soil web matrix, and one of the easiest ways to improve the organic content of any soil is to grow a green manure crop which is dug back into the soil before flowering
What is Green Manure?
Green manure crops are typically fast-growing plants such as legumes, foliage, or cover crops that are grown to be ploughed back into the soil. These plants are chosen for their ability to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil, making it available for future crops. They also contribute organic matter to the soil, which improves soil structure, enhances moisture retention, and encourages beneficial microorganisms.
Benefits of our Harmony braded Green Manure
- Soil Fertility: A green manure blend, fix nitrogen by working with soil bacteria to convert nitrogen from the air and store it in the soil.
- Soil Structure: The incorporation of green manure into the soil improves its structure, making it more porous and better at retaining water and nutrients.
- Weed Suppression: The dense growth of our specially blended green manure can outcompete weeds, reducing the need for weed control.
- Pest and Disease Control: Green manure will help in breaking the cycle of pests and diseases by acting as a barrier, whilst attracting beneficial insects.
- Biodiversity: Our Harmony branded green manure seed is of the highest quality to enhance biodiversity both above and below the soil surface.
How to Use Green Manure
- Prepare a weed-free bed.
- Sow the seeds just under the soil surface, lightly raking soil back over the seeds, and water in well.
- Water regularly once germination starts, as you would any other crop.
- Our Harmony branded green manure mix includes a range of fast-germinating seeds to out compete weeds during establishment.
After the green manure crop has grown for a certain period, typically 8-10 weeks and prior to seeding, it is simply cut down and worked into the soil. The decomposed plant material then releases nutrients into the soil, ready for the next planting cycle
Green manure is a sustainable and ecologically friendly practice that plays a crucial role in enhancing soil health, fertility, health and structure. It involves the cultivation of specific plants, not primarily for harvest but to be incorporated back into the soil as a natural fertiliser. This age-old technique is gaining renewed interest among modern farmers and gardeners who are looking to reduce chemical inputs, improve biodiversity, and support a more sustainable agricultural ecosystem.