Manure is usually something that we think of as smelly, albeit useful for our garden, but difficult to obtain from a reliable source, especially if you live in the big city.
Added to this, there’s the problem of using manure that may come from animals that have been inoculated with hormones and antibiotics, which is not going to be very good for your organic vegetable garden. Which is why it’s time to take a closer look at green manures.
According to Gardening Know How, ‘Green manure is a term used to describe specific plant or crop varieties that are grown and then turned into the soil to improve its overall quality.’ This is a wonderful dual benefit, for a plant to be both useful as a growing crop, and as a manure once it has been harvested and put back in the soil.
Once your green manure has been dug into the soil, you should ideally leave the beds for about two weeks or more before sowing your next crop as the green material needs time to decay and not hamper growth of new seeds or seedlings.
Green manures are also sometimes cover crops and smother crops. Cover crops protect your soil from erosion by wind and water, and smother crops keep weeds under control.
Which are suitable green manures?
Interestingly, there are many plants that are useful as green manures, but we will focus on a few that are familiar to most of us.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de The Gardener.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 2017 de The Gardener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.