Kitchen Garden Forum

The bed where we want to sow winter tares as green manure will not be dug and ready for another two weeks or so. Will that be too late to sow? I usually sow winter tares the end of September.
Monika

If you've got good seed, Monika, and get mild weather, I think now will not be too late. We are a little at the mercy of the weather, though, at this time of year, but it does no harm to try. They'll take a bit of time to germinate, of course, but we've got particularly mild weather at present, so it might happen quicker than you'd think. 2 weeeks later though? Depends on Novermber!

Good luck
mike

What is the 'window' of opportunity for grazing rye?
If I cannot get it in before the worst of the winter would it be any good sowing it in spring, if so when. There is no hurry to use the land and I was planning to cut the tops for compost, just rotavate the roots. I can put equivalent compost on afterwards. My guess is that it depends on soil temperature rather than strictly season. Surely it is no different from all the grass seed that comes up in early spring on its own.
Allan

Hi Monika,
Winter Tares can be sown up until the end of October
so you will just about make it.
Italian Ryegrass can be sown until the second week in November.
JB.

Thanks JB. I mignt just make it if the rain stops.
Allan

Allan wrote:What is the 'window' of opportunity for grazing rye?

If it helps, I'm in Bristol (it's been quite mild here) and have just sowed 2 patches of Hungarian Grazing Rye this week. To try & give it a head start, I sprouted it (in an ordinary salad seed sprouter) before sowing. I don't know if that's good practice or if Rye responds well to that, but it worked well for my Tares, Phaecelia and Field Beans earlier in the Autumn.

Good luck - you almost have little to lose by trying it anyway. If it turns out you were too late, you'll still have time to buy some more seed before the Spring.

Colin

Many thanks, I think I will try Colin's method and sprout the seeds before sowing them. at least that will increase their chances.

Thanks for advice, Colin.It looks as if it will be this weekend or never. I have several large sealed bags of seed, I can't remember how old. The weather condtions are just right this weekend and I have a new Honda tiller to use.With a South facing slope they should get what warmth there is in the sun.
I am reasoning that once the seed is in it will know when to grow, if the feral grass seed can time it why not the rye.
Allan

Sat 14.10.
I tried the cultivator, just a mess of mud, pretty hopeless for sowing seed, I don't see any cultivator turning that into a seeedbed, so unless we get a really dry period in the next week or so I won't get the seed in.It looks as if the weeds will be protecting the soil all winter. I got the seed out, it is rather older than I thought, masses of it dated 1997 so it is worth testing some for germination before I do any more work.
Allan

Hi Monika and Allan.
Looking again at my previous posting I find that I made an error.
Tares can be sown until the second weed in November and Italian Rye until the end of October. I got them arse about face.
I'm sorry for the incorrect information Allan as it makes it even worse for you. My apoligies.
JB.

hi jb, allan , if the date deadline is based on winter temp,and was set some years ago, and we now have warmer winters due to global warming perhaps you have longer than the you think? only you can decide whether the experiment is worth the work. allan does the ground really need rotovating, surely you only need a very shallow seed bed? a light tickle over the surface with a rake or fork may be more apt.

Richard, you haven't seen my soil. Once wet it's no go, even a shallow stir. The weeds and grass are already establishing again, I cleared it not long ago. I am already short of time for other work before winter.

Hello all, I sprouted the tares and rye grass in damp potting compost on the boiler before sowing them - and they are germinating like mustard and cress!!

Thanks for the information....I planted Rye and Tares two weeks ago and thought I was too late and chanced it