Over wintering a new plot

[jezpax]

Hello. I’ve just laid out a new vegetable patch, which I plan to start planting in the spring. I’ve used about 10inches of well-rotted green waste compost. It is situated in a rather windy spot and the compost is fairly fine, so I’m worried about it eroding over the winter. Does anyone have suggestions as to whether I should plant a green manure or just leave it bare? It is a 10m x 15m plot. I saw Charles recommended sowing mustard Synapsis alba.

Any thoughts gratefully received.

[charles]

Fine compost is good! It is more stable than soil but if on a fair slope some may erode.

So if not growing anything now, sowing white mustard is a good idea, its growth will also indicate how fertile the compost is, hopefully you have 3 foot plants by November. Sow in drills or broadcat seed then rake in, some watering may be necessary…. 

[zuf]

I like to sow buckwheat as green manure, it’s great! If you don’t have troubles with slugs some rough mulch is also great for mulching over winter… leafmold, leaves, hay etc.

[charles]

Hi Zuf, sounds interesting but how do you remove the buckwheat? I presume it doesn’t die off in winter? or if so at what temperature?

[Stringfellow]

Hi Charles,

I have sown white mustard earlier this month in some bare spaces. I also plan to sow some Hungarian Grazing Rye as recommended by Pete elsewhere on the site, over the next couple of weeks. I was planning on using a black polythene sheet to kill off any tougher green manures (to avoid disturbing the soil), even if means a bed being out of action for a year (the allotment provides plenty for us!) – I’m considering having this ‘green manure/ fallow’ bed as part of a rotation system.

I know it’s my call but, with your experience, would you just plant some fruit trees etc. instead?!

Thanks and looking forward to the new videos.

 

 

[zuf]

Hey Charles. Buckwheat is annual and killed by frost. Not sure about the temperatures, but it’s killed here by nature for sure. We are in zone 6. But again, i think it’s not so much about temperatures, if you get frost it will die. Last year i grew some from spring on for seeds and for flowers (tea) and at harvest time some seeds were lost and it self seeded the next spring, so seeds overwinter, plants don’t. It’s also used as second croping after potatoes and cereals as it’s fast growing. I really like small plants for salad, surpresing weeds at the same time and for green manure now in fall till frost.

[zuf]

i did not know there is also perennial buckwheat…. make sure you get annual for green manure… good read – http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2014/02/05/permaculture-plants-buckwheat/

[jezpax]

Thank you Charles, and everyone else the thread, for taking the time to offer gratefully recieved advice.

Jez

[Author]

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