Green manure

[ohareward]

I have planted some mustard seed in one of my veg beds. It has nearly matured, and I was going to dig it in. I was reading a local newspaper and in the gardening section it had the following.
Green crops or fodder crops are sown over gardens from which you have harvested your summer crops of vegetables or in vacant flower plots.
The reasons for sowing fodder crops is for them to take up the goodness that has been left in the soil rather than have that goodness leached away with winter rains. A thick cover crop also reduces weed establishment. There are several popular crops that can be planted for this purpose and each one will bring added benefits to your garden. Later, when the crop is reaching maturity and before it sets seeds, you can cut the crop off at near ground level with a pair of hedge clippers and then cover the stubble and cut foliage with compost. (The old way was to dig in the crop but this damages the soil food web and also brings weed seeds to the surface).
Using the cut and cover method means no soil disturbance.
Animal manure can also be sprinkled over the area before the compost. You only need about an inch (25mm) of compost to cover and leave fallow until you are ready to plant out in the spring. In the meantime the soil life and worms will work on the materials supplied making a fantastic garden for growng next spring.
The following are suitable for a green crop.
Lupin, Alpha Alpha, Mustard, Oats and Peas.

I am all for not having to weed.

Robin

[kaznzak]

It works for me - we don't dig anything! we only use no-dig beds for our veges etc and build up soil that way rather than digging down into the ground. If you do it properly the worms will do the digging for you
Kaz

[Jack]

Gidday

Hey mate that sound like real good thinking there. But an even better way if you can would be to just cut it and let it lie, but plant another cover crop like oats or even rye corn that will grow through the winter. If you then do the choppy thing and leave that one lie as well but just plant directly into it means the oats or ryecorn would be mulching for your plants in the spring.

You also get the advantage of the decomposition taking part on top of the soil above the root zone, so any carbon dioxide produced from the decompostion would be disolve with the rain or your watering, leach down through the soil and disolve extra trace ellement out of the mineral content of the soil, right where your plant roots are feeding.

That is the way the Good Lord made things to work and why great forests can grow on very poor soils.

What was that article in as I would really love to get my hands on a copy of it.

[ohareward]

Hi Jack, it was in 'The Northern Outlook'. It is a local rag that we get free, but I think it is only in North Canterbury. It has a gardeninbg section written by a Wally Richards. I can post the page to you if you send me your address.

Robin.