The winter field bean was planted early November and the beans quickly sprouted. We planted them in the bed that previously had the courgettes etc in it and in the legumes bed.
They have grown steadily to the height they are now and have even survived having a few barrowloads of manure dumped on them - they grew right through it.
The plan is for the green manure to be dug in, in February. This will give it a good 4 months to grow. Next year the ground will be a little more used but it seemed sensible to plant something so the soil didn’t break down and lose all its nutrients. I specifically chose this as it doesn’t leave horrid seed heads in the soil like other green manures when dug in that will be a pain to remove in future years.
I don’t think the green manure on its own is all the soil needs, so we’ll be adding some more manure to the beds that need it when i can get hold of some.
Tags: green manure, when to dig in, when to plant, when to sow, winter field bean
December 11th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I’ve gone for the thick mulch cover approach instead. I’ve a clayey plot, so digging in February usually isn’t an option unless I want to be sucked into the quagmire!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
That’s not a bad plan - i have difficulty bringing too much into the garden as it has to come through the house and i’ll get told off if i trash the hall carpet!
December 12th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I’ve filled up most of my space with onions and garlic but I’m starting to think I should ‘do’ something with the bits I’ve got spare… But have no idea what…
December 13th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I’ve found one of those pop up bins helps to keep things tidy!
Thanks for stopping by on my site and leaving a comment btw, much appreciated!
December 13th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Evening, it depends on your soil really. If it’s full of big clods and clayey then leaving it open and unused for the winter is not necessarily bad as the weather will break it down. It might be worth you putting some manure of some sort on it, the more well-rotted the better, just to improve the soil structure. I’ve got some excess green manure beans i could have sent you but they should have been planted by the end of Nov. You could try and see if there’s a green manre suitable for planting now? Bit tight tho if u want to start planting in March. I’m waffling now. Might be best off just staying indoors where it’s warm!
December 16th, 2007 at 12:30 am
I have not done anything to my beds what soever though U did put some fireplace ashes on all the beds two days ago.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Hi you Guys,
Now as a green manure `Greenhorn’ could I ask the experts on this subject how, when, and what I can sow to enhance my dahlia beds. AS they are unoccupied from mid November until the begining of May is there anything benificial I can use?
In atisipation.
Thanks Ken Bournemouth.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:41 am
Hiya, welcome to the blog. Winter Field Bean which we grew, can be sown from September to November and has the added bonus of not leaving any seeds in the soil, so won’t regrow when you want the Dahlias to. If you have a heavy soil, try Forage Rye. Another option if you want a bit of height is Forage Pea Mangus, which grows up to 1m tall. You could try all 3 and pick th best for the year after. Gimme a shout if you can’;t get hold of them.