Greencrops (also called greenmanures) are awesome! Diversity, homegrown fertility + living mulch all in one.
- Use them to restore soils after a heavy feeder – you use less compost this way
- Sow them beneath/ beside bigger crops like broccoli, pumpkin or beans, as a life giving, living mulch
- Use them for a quick, handy gap filler when time is short. The very best soil fertility comes when our soil is kept covered with plants.
Take your greencropping next level, and rather than sowing single greencrops, sow a mixture. Each plant attracts different soil organisms, draws different minerals and reaches different depths. The greater the variety of plants = the greater the variety of soil life. Huzzah! Improve your soil with this one simple thing – a mixed greencrop!
Gather a seasonally appropriate selection of greencrop seeds. Either mix them together in a jar and then sow, or sprinkle lightly one at a time, oversowing with each different type. To make a cool brew, choose:
- 1 or 2 nitrogen fixers: clover, lupin, broadbeans, peas, soya beans or vetch.
- A tap root: daikon, borage, dandelion, parsley or chicory to open and mine – especially beneficial for clay soils.
- A grass: oats, barley, wheat or rye to mop up the nitrogen and stabilise soil.
- A soil cleanser: mustard, marigold, kale or radish
- A flower: phacelia, buckwheat or calendula
- A mineral powerhouse eg: buckwheat, dandelion, chamomile or borage
Having a good supply of seed means that as soon as a gap appears you can quickly fill it before nature gets in with the weeds.
A good basic kit to have at hand is: mustard, lupin, crimson clover, oats, phacelia, daikon, borage, buckwheat and calendula.
Greencrops can be sown in even the tiniest of gaps. Get used to jostling crops, greencrops and flowers together – plants love to grow in community. This jostle does take management though. Wander the garden regularly and chop and drop excess growth, ensuring the crops recieve the light + air they need.
Sow a living mulch beneath finishing brassicas
As a winter project, have a go at sowing a mixed greencrop beneath soon to finish brassicas. Choose a few winter-friendly greenmanures like lupin, peas, broadbeans, mustard, rye, oats, phacelia or calendula.
Create light and space by snapping off the lower ratty brassica foliage, then clear any weeds. Scatter sow the greencrop seed at their feet. Sprinkle a little soil/ compost + mulch on top. Gently water, if your soil is dry.
When the greencrop is up and running, cut the brassicas off at soil level, leaving those wonderful roots in play. The roots are oh so good for our soils my friends – especially heavy clay or sand who need all the roots they can get.
This sets up a cycle of continuous groundcover – the next crop can be planted amongst the greencrop before it finishes. No more bare ground! No more garden downtime! Less weeds + fertility stays steady = a garden in flow.