Guide to Growing Green Manure Crops

Green Manure crops do all sorts of wonderful things.

They…

• help prevent erosion from sun, wind and rain

• absorb nitrogen from the air and make it available in the soil

• break up hard soil pans

• provide pathways for worms to work their magic

• once dug in, provide much needed minerals, humus and green manure to improve drainage and beneficial microbial life in the soil

• and suppress weeds by occupying the space they would otherwise take up.

Blue Lupin

Improves most soil types, producing a mass of green matter and makes nitrogen available in the soil from its root nodules once dug in. An excellent crop to grow before planting sweetcorn, potatoes or leafy vegetable crops. Chop just prior to flowering in spring and dig in, allowing 4-6 weeks to decompose before your next crop.

Sow 250 to 300 grams per 50m².

Tic Bean Green Manure Crop

Like a miniature broad bean having similar nitrogen fixing action with its root nodules and producing a mass of green plant material above ground. It makes an excellent cover crop for pheasants and can be grazed by animals for a nutritious winter feed. Dig in just prior to flowering, or let it set pods and enjoy them as a spring broad bean.

Sow 1kg per 65m².

Phacelia

A hardy annual that will germinate in cooler autumn soil. It’s a deep rooting plant and a good phosphate scavenger, making it available to the crops that follow. If left to fully mature, its nectar rich flowers are irresistible to bees and other beneficial insects. Otherwise, chop and dig in prior to flowering. The fibrous biomass will give your soils much needed carbon and fibre.

For a dense patch, sow 30 grams per 10m².

For two “cocktails” of a variety of species, try our Autumn Manure Mix or Kings Green Manure Mix.

Autumn Manure Mix

This contains a formula blend of Winter Rye, Field Peas, Rye Grass, Crimson Clover and Common Vetch. It generates an enormous amount of green matter, high in fibre with the added bonus of the Peas, Crimson Clover and Vetch, all fixing nitrogen and breaking up the soil below the surface.

Sow 1kg for 160m².

Kings Green Manure Mix

This contains Peas, Oats and Lupin. It produces an incredible amount of quick growing green mass above ground whilst creating a huge amount of nitrogen fixing, bulky and penetrative root system below the surface. It’s a great catch crop, soaking up nutrients that may otherwise be lost over the winter and making them available for spring sown crops. Chop and dig in 4-6 weeks prior to sowing your spring plantings.

Sow 1kg per 40m².

Do your garden a favour and put it to bed
with a blanket of Green Manure!