As a new gardener I'm learning to love the rain. Nothing like a good soaking especially for the banana plants; they love a good long soak. But it hasn't stopped for the last few days and looks like it's going to rain most of the weekend. Give us a chance to go out there and do a little gardening, rain!
We want to plant our cover crops in the vegetable patch this weekend. The plot where we had the broccoli is now bare and all the good nutrients in the soil get washed away in the rain so cover crops, or green manure, as they're sometimes called, help retain those nutrients and improve the content of the soil over winter. They also prevent weeds growing on your bare patches of land.
We've decided to go for Hungarian grazing rye and Tares, though there are many other varieties to choose from. Grazing rye is especially good for heavy clay soil, which is what we have, as it has fibrous roots which break up the earth. Among all these benefits the cover crops will also provide a bit of greenery at the back of the garden during the dreary winter months.
The best time to plant the cover crops is late September to October so best we get out there this weekend. Wellington boots and sexy anoraks here we come!
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