Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

Any ideas would be welcome
Nir

The message .com
from contains these words:

Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

Any ideas would be welcome
Nir

I haven't got any conclusive experience of using green manures. I've
used phacelia but not been aware that it's made any great difference.
I prefer to cover as much soil as possible with my own compost and I'm
surprised that the Garden Organic page focuses on leaf mould and leaves
out the effects of more general garden compost.

Janet G

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

What is 'green manure'?

Alan

Alan Holmes writes

wrote in message
roups.com...
Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

What is 'green manure'?

Plants that you seed and let grow thickly when you don't want to grow
anything else there, and then dig in to the soil when you want to grow
something else. 'Manure' because you're digging the goodness in the
plants into the soil.
--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
Alan Holmes writes

wrote in message
groups.com...
Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

What is 'green manure'?

Plants that you seed and let grow thickly when you don't want to grow
anything else there, and then dig in to the soil when you want to grow
something else. 'Manure' because you're digging the goodness in the plants
into the soil.

Thanks, should have known that, but the senile decay is getting worse!

Could you give an example of what to use?

Alan

--
Kay

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

"K" wrote in message
...
Alan Holmes writes

wrote in message
egroups.com...
Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

What is 'green manure'?

Plants that you seed and let grow thickly when you don't want to grow
anything else there, and then dig in to the soil when you want to grow
something else. 'Manure' because you're digging the goodness in the
plants into the soil.

Thanks, should have known that, but the senile decay is getting worse!

Could you give an example of what to use?

Alan

--
Kay

Poor soul.The decay must be bad if you have forgotten about Google.
Here is a good link which is easy reading:-)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basic...enmanure.shtml

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'm still new to allotment gardening, and on my travels around the
internet, I came across this:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo...g_gard_now.php
A little before half way down the page, there's a picture of three beds
treated in different ways. It seems that the one which has been
leafmoulded (if that's the word) is doing brilliantly, but the one on
which green manure has been used seems to be doing even worse than the
one left to its own devices. Could that really be the case? If so, why
use green manure?

Any ideas would be welcome
Nir


The idea of green manures is to lock up nutrients, from both the air and
soil, in the plant. The plant is then dug in and after decaying it releases
its goodies to the soil.
The decaying process takes time and consequently if veg/plants are sown too
soon then they will in effect be growing in depleted soil.
This explanation might fit the poor results you commented on.

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
The idea of green manures is to lock up nutrients, from both the air and
soil, in the plant. The plant is then dug in and after decaying it releases
its goodies to the soil.
The decaying process takes time and consequently if veg/plants are sown too
soon then they will in effect be growing in depleted soil.
This explanation might fit the poor results you commented on.

I also suspect that the decay process /requires/ nitrogen, thus
removing a small amount of existing nutrition until it is complete. I
suspect that adding urine might help, and may have accompanied animal
husbandry when this was used commercially.