Green manures (also called cover crops) will improve soil quality A green manure crop is plowed under right in place, adding organic matter high in nitrogen to the soil. In decomposing, it produces humic acid, which helps release locked-up minerals, so you need to add less fertilizer in other forms. Read the rest of this entry »

How to turn heavy, hard clay and lifeless sandy soils into a garden like mine with green manure crops

My garden soil didn’t start out the way it looks in pictures. It was poor and gravelly and didn’t have much organic matter in it. Rain and fertilizer just washed down through it and seedbeds dried out very quickly. The soil needed lots and lots of organic matter. And I provided it by growing green manure crops and turning them under. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve harvested peas and turned under the plants while they were still green and tender, you have put green manure in your soil. Any green plant spaded or tilled back into the soil can be called green manure. Some green manure crops are grown just to be plowed back into the soil while they are still green and rich in organic matter. Alfalfa, buckwheat, and annual ryegrass are a few examples. There are many others.

You might hear green manure crops being called “cover crops” or “catch crops.” These names indicate two of the jobs of a green manure crop:

1. To cover bare soil at the end of the season. This protects it from erosion over the winter. Read the rest of this entry »

Amount needed per 1,000 sq. ft. … 10 lbs. Approximate cost/lb. … $1.40-$1.70 Varieties: Little Marvel, Wando, Progress No. 9 Best time to plant: early spring or early fall.

I like garden peas as a green manure crop because I can plant them very early and because they produce so much food for so little work. I call them an

“edible” green manure crop because I don’t till them in until after Jan and I harvest bushels of peas for freezing and eating, and to give to friends and neighbors. Read the rest of this entry »

Amount per 1,000 sq. ft….2-3 lbs.

Approximate cost/lb….$0.55 ($23.50 for 50-pound bag.)

Varieties: very important to buy only annual ryegrass. Don’t be confused by similar crops or names.

Best time to plant: midsummer through early fall.

I plant annual ryegrass up to about 3 weeks before our first hard frost. It grows fast, but it needs time to put on some lush top growth before the cold weather hits. Like buckwheat, it can be planted in all regions and in all soils with good success. Read the rest of this entry »

Summer workers in your nitrogen factory

Amount per 1,000 sq. ft. … 10 lbs. Approximate cost/lb. … $1-$2.

Varieties: your favorite green or yellow bush varieties, such as Contender, Eastern Butterwax, etc. Or shell beans such as French Horticultural, or lima beans (seeds are slightly more expensive). In South: plant favorite Southern peas.

Best time to plant: anytime after last spring frost and up to 8 weeks before expected first fall frost. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Prepare a good seedbed. If the area has plant residues, spade them into the soil or pull them and pile them on a compost pile. Some crops with heavy stalks and stems, such as corn, broccoli, and cauliflower, are best pulled out and worked into your compost pile. Some of the greens and vine crops are easier to dig in. Loosen the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Give the area a final raking. As you do this, step backwards so that you can rake over your footprints. Read the rest of this entry »

I have not put an ounce of commercial fertilizer or manure on these test gardens in 10 years.

For the past 10 years I’ve been conducting a home garden experiment on eight 24 by 24-foot gardens. I started after a discussion with a soil scientist and agricultural researcher at our state university. Part of his job was to analyze trends in the food and dairy industries and to predict what was coming next. What he forecast scared me. Read the rest of this entry »