green manure

[pjt]

My no dig method utilizes growing a green mulch crop which I then push over (just walk all over it) and then cover with mulch or compost then leave for a while to break down, as the compost is not quite ready it was mulch (tree trimmings)
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This is a winter growing mix of oats, broad bean, woolly pod vetch, linseed and fenugreek, the idea is to have a variety of plant types rather than a monoculture, the bean, vetch and fenugreek are all legumes and if the correct bacteria (or inoculated at seeding) is present in the soil will produce nitrogen nodules on the roots. This nitrogen then becomes available for whatever I grow next.
In this mix the fenugreek didn't keep up with the others so was a little overwhelmed, the others worked well together.




Pete

[cava]

I have used oats previously, and then dug them in. This was followed with a planting of onions which was very productive.

Currently I am using broadbeans as a green manure.

I like the idea of just pushing the oats over and covering with mulch. :2tsup:

[pjt]

The digging in thing to me seems like too much work, it might not be as immediate a result but it's not what nature does, leaves fall on the ground, animals pee and poo whenever wherever on the ground, plus digging disrupts all the soil life, I find that the layer of green stuff/mulch provides habitat for all the critters that in turn eat all the green and mulch, wood lice, millipedes, termites, beetles, spring tails and worms which all then turns into humus on the surface. All those critters provide food for something else as well, eat or be eaten once again. Also a dark layer of surface mulch will absorb heat and warm the soil.
Broadacre farmers that grow green manure crops will flatten it with a crimping roller which damages the stem such that it dies and becomes surface mulch as it dries, they then plant into that with a following crop.
Have you only grown a single species crop, the trend is towards multiple species of crop where the different species can occupy different above and below ground volume.



Pete