Kitchen Garden Forum

I planted several types of green manure in the autumn for overwintering. Mostly, they have done well.

The advice is to cut the plants down in early spring then dig them in. Apparently, in order to release the goodness in the plants, you have to cut them up first, using shears or a strimmer.

I operate no-dig raised beds. If I cut off the tops of the green manure, the roots should still continue to produce shoots come the spring.

How do you therefore get the greenery to be incorporated into the bed without digging it in? I want, obviously, for the roots of the plant to die quickly, too.

I have no problem using black plastic to rot the greenery and stop the roots getting water (and therefore die), but is there any other way of getting the manure goodness into the soil and for the roots to stop producing and decompose?

Barry wrote:I planted several types of green manure in the autumn for overwintering. Mostly, they have done well.
The advice is to cut the plants down in early spring then dig them in.
I operate no-dig raised beds.

Hi Barry, I have to ask if it goes against your policy to dig something in why grow it.

On the basis of going to an extreme do you not grow carrots, beetroot or potatoes and other root crops as they would require digging out.
Assuming it does not go against a non dig policy Is the logical answer to hoe the green manure in after it has been cut or don't you hoe either.

If you cut it then cover in black plastic the worms in your soil should do the job for you and kill the roots but I do agree with pa snip

I use a three pronged tiller(mine happens to be from the Wolf system), that hoes up any weeds and helps combine manure/compost into the soils upper level of an inch or so without digging into the heart of the soil structure.

A sharp Dutch hoe will sever the roots which will then rot down.

I have both a sharp Dutch hoe and a Wolf three-pronged tiller, so I'll try that and, in the meantime, make it quite clear to the resident worms that they'll be having lots of food that I expect them to digest on my behalf.

I started planting green manures a couple of years ago, having seen examples of gardeners who do the same, essentially not to leave soil bare over the winter.

I used to turn them in at the end of the season, but got to see the results on my own plot of seriously increasing yields when I stopped deep digging. Last year's potato crop, which was grown in established raised beds, is the best I have ever grown. It is put down to leaving deep soil structure in place.

I decided to pull out of all but the most necessary digging (although I love digging) after damaging my back in the middle of last summer. It's better now, but my osteopath has advised me not to go gung ho digging if I can help it So, I'm now looking for easier ways to do most of my gardening and, apparently, the worms can be most obliging!!

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Like the others have said there are several ways you could incorporate it into the top layer of soil without digging, but it also depends on the kind of green manure that it is.

Phacelia is easily worked in if chopped up when still green but woody if left over winter.
Grazing rye takes a lot more working in and contains a growth inhibitor for a few weeks after chopping up while it breaks down.
Lucerne roots have a tendency to re-grow when you've chopped the tops off.
Clovers tend to die off over winter here anyway but different varieties are stronger and more persistent.

If you give the chopped up tops time to wilt before covering them with anything they are more likely to start breaking down and it will take a lot of worms to deal with a thick layer of greenery anyway, so it might look like a layer of compost anyway when you uncover it.
Some green manures need to occupy the ground for a season to get the most benefit so you may need to leave a bed fallow.

I sometimes use a three pronged hand tiller to work stuff into the raised beds, like Tigerburnie's but less energetic.

You've plenty of options but need to bear in mind what will suit the particular green manure best that you are using. Layers of cardboard are also a good cover while it's breaking down, blocking the light but letting a bit more moisture in and insulating it a bit, but not as aesthetically pleasing as black plastic I suppose