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Have I got time to get a green manure on my lottie?

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:52 am
by mew
Question is in the title really?

Also, same goes for my onions, have I got time if I put them in at the weekend or have a missed the boat? Also, do I need to manure / feed the bed prior to putting the onions in and if so, what am I best using?

thank youuuuuusssssssssss muchly :flower: :flower:

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:35 am
by Thurston Garden
I planted an acre of Phacelia a couple of years back in early October (East Lothian) it gave good green ground cover, but of course did not flower.

I bought it from a local arable seedsman but can't remember the price. I left the end-riggs of the field unploughed in the spring and still have phacelia flowering there yet - it's great for attracting bees when it does.

Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:47 pm
by Peggy Sue
I've been considering green manure on part of the allotment. I think tares can be sown now, it's what I've been looking at.

OH is very keen on the 'no weeds' look so might do his head in?? :?

Must say I have endless horse manure though and it's free so a bit torn on just using that and digging in the weeds!

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:41 pm
by hambatroyd
I stuck down some Rye a few weeks ago and its done rubbish; hardly any came up.
Just chopped down the Phacelia and will dig in tomorrow. Might try and get tares on top of that before winter.

My soil is THAT rubbish. Newspaper and compost helped (a bit). One round of Phacelia looks to have helped a bit and now plan to do tares followed by straw in the spring.

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:37 am
by Peggy Sue
I was told straw needs 2 years to rot in, after one year it is still taking nitrogen from the soil and doesn't give it back till 18 months or so. :cry:

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:05 pm
by Christine
I've just ordered startlingly expensive green manure from Thompson and Morgan - brassica-free mix of some sort that says you can sow in Autumn and stand over winter. Bit of a risk but I reckon I could use a bit of fleece till it's up and away. Struggling for manure, so need something - compost seems to vanish to nothing from bin-full - and it's not ready yet either!