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Dig in green manure?

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:57 am
by Zech
I know this sounds like a daft question, and it probably is, but please bear with me.

I have vetch growing wild in my garden and I know this is sometimes used as green manure, so I'm considering spreading the seeds about and letting it grow a bit. My question is, what next? I've recently been digging it out to make way for potatoes, and there's a mass of tough roots to get through. Do I have to chop these up - if not, they're going to get in the way - and does that involve a lot of chopped worms? I've seen advice to just hoe it off, but I really can't believe that's going to work - it'll just grow back. Come to think of it, wouldn't chopped roots grow new plants too, like bindweed?

Am I missing something, or do I have the wrong kind of vetch?

Re: Dig in green manure?

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:37 pm
by diggernotdreamer
I think you have the wrong kind of vetches, I suspect you have common vetch or wild pea which is a bit more thuggish. You can buy tares or vetches as a green manure which are a lot more manageable and can be sown in autumn for overwintering. I don't do digging, so I just pull it up and leave it on the surface, usually I would put paper on top and put a mulch on that to, then it can be planted into with transplants

Re: Dig in green manure?

Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 5:27 pm
by Zech
Thanks for that. The vetch I have is certainly thuggish! I won't try using that for green manure, then.