Does your garden soil need a boost? Sow cover crops in your garden and youโll enrich your soil.
I recently found a half-empty bottle of Lucozade placed in the euphorbia trough by one of the scaffolders. An architect friend commented, โAre you sure thatโs Lucozade?โ giving me a new perspective.
In short, the garden is in disarray. But thereโs a lot to be said for negligence; after returning from holiday, I spotted a sunflower sprouting in the back corner.
This week, though, some necessary firefighting is underway. Being six months pregnant, Iโve enlisted a professional gardener to remove invasive plants like green alkanet and robinia saplings from the neighbourโs tree, while leaving the good stuff. Then, in the open patches, Iโll be sowing green manure.
Green manure are superheroes when it comes to improving soil health.
My gardening friend Claire has written about green manure, as they are essential in seasonal planting for vegetable plots. But, the only things Iโm harvesting from my garden right now are a few scrumped apples and some hardy herbs.
My garden goals are modest and consistent โ and improving the soil is my main priority. For those wondering, the scaffold is for roof repairs, and the garden boundaries are still wobbly, but the neighbours agree with the plan.
Green manure are like superheroes for soil health. Soil likes to be covered, which is why weeds appear. Yet by sowing fast-growing plants, you can control weeds, attract pollinators, host pest-eating creatures, and fix nitrogen.
Green manure plants may not look exciting โ though some, like lupins โBlue Sonetโ and a flowering legume, have pretty flowers โ but their purpose is to grow vigorously rather than be admired. After theyโve grown, you can turn them under, chop them for mulch, or leave them on the surface for worms to pull down. Their work happens underground.
Autumn is perfect for sowing these overwintering crops. My selection includes forage rye, which breaks up heavy earth, a nitrogen-lifter, a weed-suppressor, and field beans.
It feels rewarding in planting seeds that wonโt stay forever โ at least above ground.
