Green manures are fast-growing plants sown to cover bare soil in productive areas such as allotments, or vegetable gardens, and when dug into the ground while still green, they return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure. They are especially useful in crop rotation and provide a natural, organic method of improving soil nutrition and structure for follow-on crops. Green manures are usually sown in late summer or autumn and store nutrients, preventing them from being removed by winter rains and cooler weather weeds. An excellent alternative to mulching, heavy-handling of bulky organic manures, and cost-effective.
A common sight in wild meadows, this fast-growing clover has rich green leaflets, often with a creamy white band at their base. For many months from spring to autumn, clusters of near-white flowers appear in profusion and these are very attractive to bees and other pollinating insects. A small-leaved, creeping perennial that is excellent as a long-term green manure. White clover makes a superb weed suppressant and is able to fix nitrogen, releasing nutrients back into the soil and improving its structure.
Growing instructions: Sow seeds into a prepared tilth by broadcasting them across the soil at approximately 1.5g per sq. metre and rake them into the surface. In the year of digging in (which can be anything from 2-5 years), cut down before flowering when the stems are nice and soft to more easily incorporate into the soil. Turn over or cultivate into the top 15cms (6”) and leave to break down for a minimum period of three weeks prior to sowing or planting of the main crop. Alternatively, leave on the surface as a green mulch where worms will recycle the organic matter and help to aerate the soil.
