If you’re new to growing your own food sources, you’ve probably heard of green manure. But do you actually know anything about it? While the term may not be enticing, it is an excellent medium for the well-being of your soil and following crops.
The term “green manure” generally refers to plant items cultivated as a cover crop, though theoretically, a cover crop does not turn into green manure until it is dug into the lawn. Yes, they exist specifically to be dug into the soil in order to add organic nutrients and improve the texture of the soil.
Green manure cover crops are frequently planted in the off-season, before a garden is planted or after yields have been harvested. It is typically a fast-growing seed that can be sown wherever there is space available in your elevated beds or vegetable patches.
Growing a crop solely for the benefit of soil health and later seeding is not a new thing. However, after WWII, man-made chemicals overtook the need to care for the soil organically. Because so much more is now understood about the negative impacts of certain chemicals, there is a greater awareness of the importance of going back to more natural methods of soil treatment.
Benefits of Green Manure
The first and most important advantage of green manure is that it significantly improves soil structure. Green manure, when dug into lighter soils, can help soil particles clump together and hold water very well.
Furthermore, green manure will improve soil fertility with minimal effort. Specific green manures accumulate nitrogen from the air and make it available to the crop that follows. Many crops require nitrogen for healthy plant and leaf growth.
Green manure is also effective at suppressing weed growth. Green manure, as a living mulch, also works to keep the soil from compaction caused by massive rainfall, which very often lessens the soil’s nutrients.
Types of Green Manure
Green manure can be any type of growing leaves and stems that are dug into the soil. However, there are some plant species that are developed specifically for this goal.
Legumes are the most commonly used cover crops. They are planted as green manure when nitrogen-hungry vegetables are cultivated in the area.
Several grass species are also used as green manure. Because these plants grow quickly, you can grow them either before or after summer crop plants. Because of its rapid growth, this grass is an excellent choice as a cover crop when weed suppression is preferred.
