Which green manures are best to sow for tomatoes and how to use them

What types of green fertilizers restore the soil after cucumbers

Of all types of green manure, legumes and cereals are especially useful:

• vegetable peas;
• beans;
• chickpeas;
• broad beans;
• oats;
• buckwheat;
• rye.

Plants from the cruciferous family are also effective:

• mustard;
• rape;
• oilseed radish;
• rapeseed.

Other useful plants, such as phacelia, sweet clover, lupine, alfalfa, vetch, clover, can replace manure or droppings.

0.1 hectares of mown phacelia replaces 300 kg of manure, which is much more expensive and is not always available on the farm. Phacelia attracts bees and is also an excellent honey plant.

It is recommended to start sowing green manure for cucumbers in the fall after harvesting. In open ground these can be cold-resistant plants:

• winter rye;
• oilseed radish;
• phacelia;
• white mustard.

After germination, the green part is mowed down and left on the site, or put into a compost heap. The roots of plants remain in the ground, which rot over the winter, thereby fertilizing the soil.

Sown green manure after cucumbers in the greenhouse frees gardeners from the need to import new soil and ensures a constant harvest. To decide which green manure is best for cucumbers, you need to know what type of soil is on the site and what is required from helper plants.

Green manure for cucumbers by soil type

Suitable for depleted soils are phacelia, commonweed, lupine, and buckwheat. For heavy marshy soils - legumes, buckwheat, rye, rapeseed, phacelia. Sandy soils become fertile after planting lupine and phacelia.

In the open ground

You can sow green fertilizers early in the spring, as soon as the snow has melted from the ground. You should not be late, otherwise the biomass will not grow before the time it is time to plant the cucumbers. It is better to choose cold-resistant green manures. These include oilseed radish, spring rape, phacelia and mustard.

You can achieve rapid germination of green manure if you cover them with film after planting. As soon as the sprouts appear, the shelter can be removed. When the green mass has grown by 10-15 cm, and the weather is warm outside, make holes directly in the green manure and send the cucumber planting material. Cover with earth and cover with plastic containers cut in half.

You can mow down green fertilizers even before planting cucumbers. Then you don’t have to constantly make sure that green manure does not create a shadow or muffle the cucumber shoots.

Green manure can be planted in late summer and autumn, immediately after harvest. This option is more preferable, since the moisture concentrated during the winter and all the nutritional components in the spring should saturate the cucumbers, and not green fertilizers.

In the video - green manure for cucumbers in open ground:

In the open ground in the fall it is worth planting the following green manures:

1. Oilseed radish. This plant is capable of quickly growing green mass. After it, the soil becomes fertile, healthy and protected from the development of fungal diseases. It will also be interesting to know when to sow oats as green manure.

White mustard. If this green manure is sown in the fall, this will protect it from the cruciferous flea beetle. White mustard is distinguished by its rapid growth. It is an excellent preventive measure against pests and various ailments. As soon as the green manure germinates, it can be mowed and embedded in the ground. You can leave the plant to rot in the soil over the winter, and then remove the rotted remains with a rake in the spring. Then the soil will be loose and fertile. It will also be interesting to learn about what sweet clover green manure looks like and how it is used.

Phacelia. This is a cold-resistant variety that manages to gain green mass before frost. There is no need to mow the plant, as it decomposes easily. Seeds germinate even at temperatures of 5-8 degrees. And minor frosts of up to 5 degrees are not in the country. But how to plant potatoes with green manure, and how to choose the right crop, is indicated here.

If you decide to sow green manure in the fall, you should know that they grow much worse than in summer or spring. This is due to a decrease in daylight hours and average daily temperature.

It will also be useful to learn about when to sow wheat as green manure.

But what buckwheat is as a green manure, and what reviews exist about such a crop are described in detail here: //gidfermer.com/sadovodstvo/udobreniya-i-podkormki/grechixa-kak-siderat.html

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Why do we need green manure, what is it?

Some crops grown on an industrial scale (corn, rapeseed, sunflower) greatly deplete the soil, so after harvesting such plants, the soil needs to be saturated, nourished and loosened.

By using green manures (green fertilizers), you can reduce or limit as much as possible the application of mineral or organic fertilizers to the soil. Such plants are unpretentious, resistant to low temperatures, and are grown almost from early spring until late autumn.

Green manure crops allow you to replenish humus reserves, increase fertility and reduce soil acidity.

After planting green manure, you can temporarily stop digging up the soil. Due to the large number of roots that penetrate the soil, loosening naturally is much more effective than when using walk-behind tractors or other devices.

Green manure and their roots rot quite quickly, which means that many channels are formed in the soil that saturate it with moisture and oxygen. Thus, the natural process of soil structuring takes place. In a year or two, green manure will not be able to transform significantly depleted soil into ideal soil. However, during their use, clay soil may become looser, and sandy soil may become more cohesive.

When and why to plant green manure

In a greenhouse, green manure can be sown in late autumn or early spring, although the latter option is considered more effective - all substances remain in the soil and are not washed away when the snow melts. Most green manure grown before tomatoes are highly cold-resistant, so if sown early in spring, they will have time to grow, and if mowed in a timely manner and added to the soil, they will decompose.

Green manure in the greenhouse in the spring is sown under tomatoes in order to improve the composition of the soil and saturate the soil with nutrients. As a result, there is no need to apply any other fertilizers before planting the crop - in soil enriched with green manure, tomatoes feel great, develop well, grow and are practically not affected by common pests and diseases.

Important! Green manure crops choke and displace weeds, which is also one of their advantages

What are the properties and planting dates of different green manures?

Each group of green manure plants has its own leaders. They enjoy deserved popularity among farmers. What green manure is best to use for a vegetable garden for a particular crop?

Mustard

A representative of the Cruciferous family has the following positive characteristics:

• retains nitrogen, maintaining normal acid balance;
• gets rid of codling moths, wireworms, slugs;
• inhibits weeds;
• prevents the development of scab, late blight and other infections.

Mustard is sown at different times of the year:

• In the spring after the first melting of the snow cover. Maturity occurs after 1.5-2 months. The greenery grows very quickly and can create partial shade for young shoots. The main crop can be sown 14 days after mowing and burying the greenery. Green manure provides protection against the growth of weeds.
• In summer, the crop is planted with long-ripening plants, which allows you to get rid of pathogenic microorganisms.
• In the fall, sowing is done for the winter, when the entire crop has been harvested from the garden bed. The tops are cut only with the onset of spring. It decomposes quickly. You don't have to bury it deeply.

Seeds are sown in rows scattered or in increments of 10 to 15 cm. For each square meter in the first case there are 3-4, and in the second - 1-1.5 g.

Phacelia

It combines high decorative value, attractiveness for bees and insects, being a honey plant, which creates conditions for pollination. Prevents weeds and other wild grass from growing in empty areas. If you trim the tops correctly, you can get a great looking lawn.

Phacelia contains phytoncides. They prevent the proliferation of fungi and bacteria that cause rot, late blight, scab, and repel nematodes, wireworms, aphids, and codling moths. The stems and leaves of green manure contain a lot of nitrogen and minerals.

Phacelia seeds are planted in the spring, when the snow just begins to melt. From 1.5 to 2 g of material is used per square meter. The culture grows well on rocky, clayey, peaty, sandy soils. It is also sown in the winter to protect against freezing, as well as strengthen light soil, loosen heavy soil, and reduce high acidity.

Clover

A representative of Legumes, preferring moist soils with low and medium acidity, but not high acidity. Saturates the earth with mineral compounds, nitrogen, and organic matter. The clover root system prevents nutrients from being weathered and washed out, loosens it, and provides an influx of moisture and oxygen. It is best to embed it in the ground during the period of bud formation.

Lupine

The main feature is the presence of bacteria on a two-meter root system that can absorb nitrogen from deep soil layers and then release it into the upper layers. It makes complex phosphate compounds easier to absorb, improves accumulation and water permeability, and reduces the acidity and density of the earth.

The crop is sown with the arrival of May, and it is ready for mowing after one and a half to two months, until the stems have time to harden. Plant the tops to a depth of 5 to 6 centimeters. There are 20-30 g of seed per square meter. Varieties with purple inflorescences are planted in acidic soils, and varieties with white ones - in sandy soils, loams, yellow ones - in absolutely any soil.

Oats

This grain enriches the earth with organic matter, potassium, and phosphorus. If a large amount of nitrogen is needed, it must be sown together with peas or spring vetch. Similar to other green manures, it loosens the soil, but additionally suppresses the development of root rot and provides protection against erosion.

Which legume green manures are suitable for tomatoes?

Legumes accumulate nitrogen well. This type of plant serves as a good manure substitute. Unlike other vegetable crops, they can be planted in one place every year. Legume plants are suitable for open ground and greenhouses. They are usually sown for tomatoes in spring or late summer.

Clover

If the soil in the garden has a low level of acidity, then clover can be sown under the tomatoes. Its roots loosen the soil and prevent weathering. Biomass is embedded in the ground before flowering begins; it is at this time that it accumulates the most useful substances.

Clover is sown from March to April, using 2 g/m² of seeds. Tomatoes can be sown 2 weeks after planting green manure in the ground. Thanks to clover, the concentration of soil bacteria increases. They contribute to the formation of humus.

Lupine annual

By the time the tomato seedlings are planted in open ground, the lupine, which was sown before winter, has time to gain green mass. This green fertilizer performs specific tasks:

• fixes atmospheric nitrogen;
• preserves and reproduces the natural fertility of the soil;
• protects the soil from erosion.

Lupine has a tap root, it loosens the soil, normalizes gas exchange, and prevents leaching. During growth, roots produce enzymes that convert phosphorus compounds into a chelated form that is available for absorption.

Lupine for tomatoes can be sown both before winter and in spring (April). The soil needs to be loosened (dug up) with a cultivator (shovel). Seeds should be sown in rows, maintaining an interval of 10-15 cm. Cover with a 2 cm layer of soil.

The approximate consumption of lupine seeds per square meter is 25 g.

Lupine grows quickly. At the end of May it can be mowed, chopped, and embedded in the ground. The resulting biomass is buried to a depth of 8 cm. Advantages of sowing lupine:

• the soil becomes loose;
• tomato bushes do not get sick;
• higher productivity;
• less weeds.

The plant has disadvantages: it grows poorly in partial shade, the seeds have difficulty germinating, and the soil must be moist to speed up germination.

Broad beans

This annual plant is a source of nitrogen. It is especially useful to sow broad beans on heavy and podzolic soils. Green manure lowers the pH level, prevents weeds from growing, structures the soil, improving its air and water permeability. Beans absorb nitrogen from the air; this is facilitated by nodule bacteria that live on the roots.

Beans are not afraid of cold weather; they can be sown at the end of summer; they can withstand short-term temperature drops down to -8 °C. To sow 1 hectare of seeds, you will need 2.5 kg; they are planted at a depth of 6 cm. It takes about 2 months to accumulate the required volume of green mass. Before embedding into the soil, the vegetative mass is crushed.

Vika

This green manure prefers neutral soil. Vetch quickly increases vegetative mass, so it can be sown for tomatoes in the spring. Tomato seedlings are planted 2 weeks after planting vetch in the soil. Purpose of legumes:

• enriches the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium;
• suppresses weed growth;
• improves soil structure.

Vetch is considered the best predecessor for tomatoes.

Spring vetch is sown in spring. They begin to cut it when the buds form. The percentage of nutrients decreases if you delay the incorporation of green mass. Rough stems will take longer to rot, which can slow down the growth of tomatoes.

Peas

Gains the required volume of green mass in just 1.5 months. Peas are afraid of frost, but can tolerate slight cold snaps. It is better to sow it at the end of August, cut it at the very beginning of flowering. Peas grow well in moist, neutral soil. Does not like sandy, clayey, acidic, or waterlogged soil.

Benefits of green manure for the soil:

• health improvement;
• nitrogen enrichment;
• improvement of structure.

To get the desired result, you need to sow 3.5 kg of peas per 1 acre.

Seradella

The plant is an annual, loves moisture, tolerates frost, and grows in the shade. If seradella is watered, it will grow in any soil, but light, neutral soil is preferable. Sow green manure in early spring, using 500 g of seeds per 1 hectare. Seradella should be mowed and sealed before flowering. It takes 1.5 months for green mass to grow.

The best green manure for the garden

Any annual crops are often used as green manure, even those sown from “old” seeds of dill, parsley or carrots. But the most popular green manures are:

• Legumes are capable of supplying the soil with nitrogen, loosening it as much as possible. Often, clover, lupine, horned sweet grass, alfalfa, beans, seradella, soybeans, lentils, peas, nomadic grass, sweet clover, chickpeas, and vetch are planted;
• Hydrophiles (phacelia);
• Cruciferous plants - supply the soil with sulfur and phosphorus, loosening and structuring the soil. The most popular representatives of this group can be considered rapeseed, white mustard, oilseed radish, winter and spring rape;
• Cereals increase potassium levels, loosen the soil and suppress the growth of weeds.
• Buckwheat (buckwheat);
• Asteraceae, including flowers, or Asteraceae (sunflower, calendula);
• Amaranthaceae (amaranth).

Seed mixtures of green manure crops are also sometimes found, but nettle, nasturtium, and calendula are considered alternatives to purchased seeds.

Green manure for pests

1. Flax repels the Colorado potato beetle; it is sown next to potatoes.
2. Rye planted in place of potatoes repels the nematode.
3. Mustard and radish suppress weeds and some pathogenic microorganisms.
4. Phacelia is planted if necessary to get rid of wireworms. Phacelia also prevents late blight from spreading.
5. Oats help in the fight against various rots.
6. Marigolds are effective against parasites and are often planted around the perimeter of beds.
7. Lupine prevents rotting of the roots of cultivated plants.
8. Sweet clover is planted against wireworms and nematodes.
9. Alfalfa is used against nematodes.

Sowing medicinal plants - nettle, garlic, shepherd's purse, marigold, wormwood. Their effect on the soil is to remove pathogenic microorganisms, improve structure, water and air permeability

Therefore, it is important to leave the soil to rest after a year - sow one of the listed crops on it, and in the fall dig it up and embed it in the ground, which will increase its organic component

Clover, black peas, and alfalfa will help raise the level of nitrogen in the soil. If there is a lack of phosphorus, lupine, rapeseed, mustard and radish are sown. Winter grains are capable of excellent weed suppression, and sunflowers are rightfully considered one of the fastest growing green manures.

Do I need to dig up green manure in the spring?

You can start sowing green manure in early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the ground thaws. In the greenhouse, green manure begins to be sown 6 weeks before the expected date of planting the seedlings. The soil in the area where green manure is supposed to be sown must first be cleared of debris and weeds, and also loosened.

There are two ways to sow green manure in the spring: in rows or continuous sowing. In order for the seeds to germinate more evenly (not only in spring, but also at any other time of the year), experienced gardeners recommend mixing them with a small amount of sand or sawdust.

Experienced agronomists say that burying the green mass of green manure planted in the spring improves the structure of the soil, increases its moisture capacity, water permeability and promotes the activation of microbiological processes. It is recommended to bury green manure for the garden, sown in the spring, in the ground 1-2 weeks before planting the main plants.

Today in specialized stores you can find both monoculture seeds and special mixtures of green manure (for example, legumes-cereals, vetch-oats). Which one to choose is up to you. It all depends on the type of soil, the crop being planted and the result you want to achieve.

Buckwheat

This crop is unpretentious and grows well in depleted and acidic soils. Summer residents appreciate this green manure because it enriches the soil with phosphorus and potassium, and also impedes the growth of weeds, including the main enemy of all gardeners - wheatgrass. But there is a small nuance: buckwheat is a heat-loving crop, so it is sown no earlier than the beginning of May (before planting late potatoes or late-ripening root crops).

White mustard

This is one of the most popular green manures for spring sowing. The plant is not afraid of frost and is considered a winter crop. Wet, acidic soils are not suitable for white mustard.

The period from sowing seeds to technical maturity is 1.5-2 months. Mustard quickly grows lush greenery and provides light shade to young shoots of cultivated plants and suppresses the growth of weeds. This green manure loosens the soil, and the sulfur contained in its root secretions repels beetle larvae, mole crickets and other pests. In addition, mustard protects plants from late blight and fusarium.

Oats are considered the most ancient and famous of all cereal green manures. Its stems contain a lot of valuable protein. This plant boasts nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content. Oats as green manure are a godsend for viscous clay soils: with their powerful roots, they are able to loosen dense soil and saturate the soil with vitamins and oxygen.

Phacelia

The time for sowing phacelia directly depends on weather conditions. In regions with warm climates, seeds begin to be sown in February. If the winter in the region is cold and protracted, then sowing can be started no earlier than the end of March, after making sure that the frosts have subsided.

Peas

Peas are classified as legume green manures, the main task of which is to restore soil fertility. First of all, this applies to those areas where the same crops are grown every year. In most cases, peas are sown in the spring or late summer after harvest. This plant is able to grow the necessary green mass in just 1.5 months, thanks to which the bed will be protected from overheating and drying out.

Peas grow well in neutral, well-moistened soils. This crop can withstand a slight cold snap, but will die in frost.

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Lupine

Lupine is considered one of the best green manures for planting in spring. Since it is capable of restoring fertility to any soil, it is often used to reclaim abandoned areas.

Like most green manures, lupine begins to be sown two months before planting vegetable crops, or after harvesting in August-September. This plant prefers acidic light soils, but can grow in sandy soils and loams. The powerful root system of lupine is capable of extracting nutrients from deep in the soil, thus deeply loosening and draining it

Plant name	Seed sowing depth	Seeding rate
Peas	3-5 cm	20 g/sq.m
Lupine	5-6 cm	20-30 g/sq.m
Oats	3-4 cm	10 g/sq.m
Buckwheat	2-3 cm	6-10 g/sq.m
Mustard	1.5-2 cm	1-4 g/sq.m
Phacelia	2-3 cm	1.5-2 g/sq.m

Types of plants: which green manure is best to plant in a greenhouse in the fall

At the end of the season, green manure can be sown in the beds and in the greenhouse in 2 periods:

• in August, immediately after harvesting the main crop;
• at the end of September - beginning of October.

In August, fast-growing plants are usually sown, for example, peas or barley, which have time to grow green mass before the onset of cold weather. And in mid-autumn it is recommended to sow winter rye, oats, vetch, lupine, clover, phacelia or other frost-resistant plants (separately or in a mixture). As a rule, when sowing in winter, plants have time to form a root system, and in the spring they increase the main green mass.

Phacelia forms a branched root system, due to which it develops well even on soils with erosion processes and is a good predecessor for zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, as well as plants of the Solanaceae family

When incorporating green manure into the soil in the spring, it is important to consider the needs of your site. If the soil is acidified, excessive amounts of fresh organic matter will not benefit either the land or the future harvest.

The greens simply won’t have time to decompose quickly and will begin to sour. Therefore, if the soil on your site is extremely poor and acidified, it is better to put part of the mowed green manure into a compost heap.

Green manure is an excellent organic fertilizer that improves the soil naturally. But if you don’t have time to mow them before the seeds form, these plants are quite capable of taking over your area, turning into annoying weeds. However, even after this they can benefit your green pets. Read about how to use weeds after weeding on our website.

Each type of green manure has its own planting characteristics that should be taken into account:

• legumes do not like acidic soil;
• dye woad can survive temperature changes, as well as dry weather;
• vetch is a demanding representative of the flora; it is recommended to plant it by mixing it with cereal vegetation.

In the autumn, green manure can be sowed in a greenhouse twice during the fall. However, even with a one-time full planting, the gardener will be able to get a good effect from sowing fertilizer plants. Like any other representative of the flora, green manure feeds from the soil during its growth and development.

If the soil is significantly scarce, the vegetables and weeds that grow on it, as well as green manure, will be frail. For this reason, professionals recommend feeding the soil before sowing fertilizer plants. For example, you can add nitroammophoska in an amount of 30 grams per m2. If the site is characterized by fertile soil, then additional fertilizing is not required.

The step-by-step procedure for sowing green manure is as follows:

1. It is necessary to dig up the area along with fertilizers using a shovel or loosen it to a depth of 5 centimeters. People who are supporters of natural farming have a positive attitude towards loosening the soil.
2. Cut furrows with a depth of 20-40 centimeters at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other. The seeds should be sown or fanned out. Sowing should be characterized by density, the seeds should lie in the form of continuous stripes. Those green manures that sprout rarely will not be able to compete with weeds.
3. Furrows, both in the garden and in the greenhouse, need to be leveled. If the sowing was continuous, then they should be mixed with the soil.
4. Dry autumn soil must be watered. Otherwise, the seeds may remain in the ground without germination. If watering is not possible, then it is worth sowing green manure on the eve of rain.

Adviсe

Despite the ease of cultivating green manure, in order to get a good harvest when using them, you should follow some recommendations from experts.

• Green manure cannot be planted in front of a fruit plant of the same family. For example, mustard, rapeseed and any other cruciferous vegetables should not be planted in front of cabbage. But oats and rye should not be sown before corn.
• In areas with young green manure, only seedlings can be planted. If you plan to sow seeds, then all green manure must be cut off in advance.
• During dry summers, the site needs to be watered frequently - this promotes the formation of humus.
• Green manure crops, like any other, must be rotated. This will allow you to comply with the principles of crop rotation and maximize the health of the soil.

In the next video you will find additional information about the types of green manure and their use.

Characteristics of green manures most suitable for greenhouses

Each plant (green manure) has its own advantages and disadvantages. They must be selected carefully, taking into account the needs of a particular vegetable crop. When choosing the time to plant green manure in a greenhouse, you need to know the characteristics of each plant.

Phacelia is suitable for growing on any soil. Before planting the seedlings, it manages to gain a lot of green mass; before frost, it manages to get stronger and stretch out. Once mowed, its delicate foliage quickly decomposes, releasing the nitrogen the plants need. Phacelia repels wireworms, nematodes, locusts, prevents the appearance of diseases such as late blight, root rot, and is a good honey plant. Both spring and autumn are good times for phacelia, when it is most productive to sow green manure in a greenhouse.

Rapeseed is even superior to manure in its nutritional value for the soil.

It grows in a short time, and after mowing it quickly rots. Due to its frost resistance, rapeseed is well suited for winter green manuring. It heals the soil, protects the crop from pests and diseases. In addition, rapeseed perfectly suppresses the growth of weeds. Chernozem or super-clay and super-sandy soil types are well suited for growing rapeseed.

Vetch is valued for its rapid ripening. It can be sown both before and after planting seedlings. Vetch is an excellent honey plant, nitrogen supplier and soil health worker. By planting vetch tightly in a greenhouse, you can completely get rid of weeds. This green manure is quite capricious, loves moisture, and does not tolerate drought well. Winter vetch is less demanding, but also less productive. It can be planted mixed with other green manure plants, such as rye and mustard.

White mustard is the most common green manure. It is unpretentious in cultivation, disinfects the soil from late blight, putrefactive microorganisms, scab, repels slugs, wireworms, moths, and is a good honey plant. Its rapid growth inhibits the development of weeds. After germination, mustard is grown as a green manure for 30 days, then mowed or cut, and the ground is mulched with the cut tops. They quickly rot, turning into fertilizer, enriching the earth with nitrogen and phosphorus.

Rye and oats enrich the soil not only with nitrogen, but also with potassium. They are successfully used as green manure in a greenhouse in the fall and before winter, as they actively grow even in frosts. These plants are unpretentious, any soil will suit them, and they grow well without watering. Thanks to its long roots, rye successfully controls weeds such as wheatgrass. The only disadvantage of these cereals is the difficulty in subsequent processing. Strong stems are difficult to mow and take a long time to decompose.

How spring sowing of mustard helps tomatoes

White mustard is used in the spring as a fertilizer for many vegetable crops, except those belonging to the Cruciferous family (cabbage), since it itself is part of this group. The plant contains a significant amount of phytoncides - biologically active substances that protect tomatoes from infectious fungal diseases (late blight, rhizoctonia). And spicy essential oils have the ability to repel garden pests. After greening, you will rarely see the following in tomato beds:

• slugs;
• wireworms;
• Khrushchev larvae.

Unlike other plants used as green manure, mustard germinates a few days after sowing in the spring at low temperatures. Green mass contains many organic compounds and microelements: phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen

The balanced composition of mustard is important - after adding it to the soil, there is no excess of any element, which can negatively affect the growth of tomato seedlings. Fragrant essential oils attract not only bees, but also other beneficial insects that can destroy pests and pollinate plants

Alternative replacement

Unfortunately, although growing green fertilizers is an effective method, it requires additional time and effort.

Fans of organic farming methods recommend biological products

, are able to quickly and with good quality enrich the beds with useful components without planting green manure.
The raw material for this can be food waste that does not contain meat residues
.
Mown grass, weeds that do not yet have seeds, and small twigs are also added.

Make sure that nuts, hornbeam, oak, poplar and willow do not get into the compost. Hogweed, datura, nightshade and other plants containing toxins are also prohibited.

Recycled waste will allow you to save on purchasing seeds and will not require much time to use.

This is how many gardeners maintain the fertility of their beds in the ground and in the greenhouse. You just need to sow the plants and then embed their green mass into the soil. If you use the recommendations given, you can independently enrich the beds for tomato seedlings with useful elements.

Country gardens are small. It is difficult to maintain crop rotation on them. Gardeners plant legume green manures to replenish nutrients in the soil and cleanse it of pathogens and pests. Legumes are good predecessors to tomatoes, as they enrich the soil with nitrogen. To get real benefits, you need to choose the right green manure for a specific soil type.

Landing rules

To plant green manure under tomatoes in the open ground in the fall and enrich the soil with “green fertilizers,” you need to know the following rules:

• The area for tomatoes can be reused next season if, after harvesting the tomatoes, a green manure crop is planted.
• Choose only those types of plants that can be grown for nightshades.
• Alternate the types of green manure annually or use strip planting of combined green manure crops.
• Plant the area with green manure plants immediately after harvesting tomatoes.
• Sow such types of green manure so that before frost they cover the area with a continuous carpet and grow 15–20 cm.
• Before planting, clear the beds of tomato tops and weed out the weeds.
• To obtain even shoots, mix the seeds with dry sand in a 1:1 ratio.
• Spread the seed thickly, then cover it with a rake (shallow).
• Cut off the above-ground part of “green fertilizers” before their seeds ripen, place them on the surface of the earth, and dig up the soil along with organic matter.

Features of green manure in the table
Green manure in the greenhouse in the fall is grown according to three schemes:

1. Separate when tomatoes are planted after planting a green manure crop.
2. Compacted - plants cover the ground with a continuous carpet, they are trimmed to a height of 5 cm, dug out in designated places to form holes and tomato seedlings are planted there.
3. Kulisnaya - “green fertilizers” grow in the inter-rows of vegetable crops.

Selection of green manure for garden crops

To choose the right green manure for garden crops, you must follow several rules.

• You cannot use green manure from the same family as the main crop. For example, rapeseed, rapeseed for subsequent plantings of cabbage or beets.
• It is ineffective to use the same green manure several times in the same field. It is necessary to alternate them.
• Cereal green manures are best used on clay soils. They loosen the top floating layer of soil well.
• Contamination of green manure should not be allowed. The latest time for mowing is the beginning of budding.

Table 1. Selection of green manure for spring sowing

Name of garden crops	List of green manures
Potatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin	Rye, oats, lupine, oilseed radish, mustard, seradella, sweet clover.
Beets, carrots, beans	Mustard, rapeseed, oilseed radish, spring rape, peas, vetch.
Corn	phacelia, rapeseed, spring rape, radish, mustard

Table 1 shows cold-resistant green manures for spring sowing for some late-planted crops. However, when choosing green manure, you also need to take into account the type of soil (heavy, destructured, clogged, infected with pests and diseases).

Properly selected green manure will help not only enrich the soil with nutrients, but also improve its physical condition, get rid of pests, etc. (Table 2). All green manures are active assistants in the fight against weeds.

Table 2. Effect of green manure on soil indicators (regardless of sowing time)

Name of green manure	Soil indicators
Rye, oats, rapeseed, mustard, sweet clover, alfalfa, vetch, vetch-oat mixture, vetch with rye, mustard with legumes	Compacted and low in nutrients to loosen and increase soil fertility
A mixture of radish + rapeseed + mustard with the addition of calendula, marigolds, and oats. Vetch-oat mixture, rapeseed, legumes, phacelia, annual ryegrass	On all types of soils for the purpose of disinfection from rot and scab
Mustard, oilseed radish, calendula, nasturtium. Lupine, phacelia, sweet clover with an admixture of flowering marigold and calendula plants. Vetch-oat mixture, rapeseed, legumes, phacelia, annual ryegrass	On soils infested with pests, including wireworms and nematodes
Rapeseed, rapeseed, phacelia - drought resistant	On dry soils
Phacelia, rapeseed, rapeseed, radish, mustard, and any other cruciferous crops	On destructured soils and areas with erosion processes
Seradella, lupine	On waterlogged soils with close groundwater
From the legume family (vech, alfalfa, peas, broad beans), cruciferous (winter rape, winter rape), cereals (rye, oats)	Poor in organic matter, requiring increased amounts of nitrogen

The listed green manure crops and their mixtures are not dogma. You can use other green manures both in monopoly sowing and in mixtures. The main thing is to determine the priority task of the green manure being sown.

All green manures are active assistants in the fight against weeds. John Stoa

Determining the required variety

As has been proven by many gardeners, it makes no sense to choose one type of green manure for tomatoes. Special selection and different crops in the total mass give the same results. But a mixture of different types can increase performance many times over.

Main functions of green manure:

• reduction of growth activity of parasitic microorganisms;
• increasing the concentration of minerals on the surface;
• increasing the enrichment of the root system and fruits of the plant with minerals;
• allows you to avoid the mandatory replacement and renewal of soil;
• increases the amount of nitrogen in the upper layers of the soil;
• increases the physical readings of the soil.

In order to determine the optimal combination, you can use the recipes of friends and acquaintances. Based on the results, the proportions should be varied.

When to sow green manure

Green manure planting dates

When should you sow green manure? This can be done throughout the growing season: before planting the main crop and after harvesting. For example, in the spring, as soon as the snow melts, you can sow phacelia and mustard, and a little later – rapeseed, vetch and spring rape. In the summer, green manure is sown in areas that are not used for growing crops this year, and in the fall, after harvesting vegetables, mustard, winter rape, vetch and rye are most often sown. We will talk in more detail about the timing of sowing green fertilizers in the sections devoted to specific green manure.

Sowing green manure in autumn

At the very end of summer or early autumn, when vegetables from the beds have already been collected, green manure (rye, oats, lupine, sweet clover, mustard, vetch, rapeseed, peas) is sown on them. Winter sowing of green manure has a number of advantages over spring sowing:

• it frees up time for sowing early garden crops;
• green manures sown in autumn stay in the soil longer, and, accordingly, their roots loosen it better and release more mineral salts necessary for later crops;
• The green mass of green manure perfectly protects young vegetable shoots from both return frosts and strong spring sun, and after mowing it serves as mulch for the beds.

Winter green manures are sown very thickly. You can sow the beds completely, or you can sow them in rows. The area freed from vegetables is cleared of tops and weeds, and if the soil on it is depleted, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers or Nitroamophoska are added to it for digging to a depth of 20-25 cm at the rate of 30-40 g per 1 m². Dry soil is moistened before sowing green manure.

In areas with early ripening crops, green manure can be sown twice in the fall: the first time in August with crops with a short development period, for example, beans, barley and peas. Grown green manure plants are mowed at a height of 20-25 cm and shallowly embedded in the soil, where they have time to decompose before the onset of cold weather. Pre-winter sowing (the second for early harvested crops and the main one for late crops) is carried out in the second ten days of September or the first ten days of October, sowing the beds with sweet clover, winter rye or vetch.

Sowing green manure in spring

For spring sowing of green manure, the soil is prepared in the fall: it is dug up with the addition of organic and mineral fertilizers. As soon as the snow melts, they begin sowing. First, cold-resistant green manures (rye, oats, spring rape, mustard, phacelia) are sown, which have the ability to accumulate large amounts of nitrogen in the ground mass, which, when rotting, remains in the soil in a form accessible to plants.

Sowing is carried out in two ways: continuous and row. With continuous sowing, the seeds are scattered over the surface of the plot and embedded in the soil with a rake. Before sowing in rows, the soil in the area is loosened to a depth of 4-7 cm, after which furrows are cut with a hoe, seeds are sown in them, they are covered and the surface is covered from birds with mulch or spruce branches. Sometimes a wide-row sowing method is used to grow green manure: they sow in two furrows located at a distance of 15 cm from each other, then retreat 20-25 cm and sow two more furrows with green manure. This method is good for growing vegetables in seedlings: when it’s time to plant seedlings, holes for them are dug in the rows.

Sowing dates and care for mustard.

Mustard is sown from the end of March to mid-September. Mustard does not need any care. But for better development, mustard needs to be watered if you plant it in a dry region. You can sow mustard either in rows or scattered.

Mustard is a long-day plant. That is, it grows well when daylight hours are as long as possible from the beginning of May to mid-August. Then its growth slows down. That is, mustard sown in April will grow green mass much faster than mustard sown in early September.

Mustard seeds germinate already at a soil temperature of 3°C. Mustard can withstand short-term temperature drops down to -5°C. Mustard does not tolerate drought, and is not very demanding on the type of soil in which it grows.

The seeding rate of mustard for green manure is 300 grams per hundred square meters. With such sowing, you can get up to 200 kilograms of mustard green mass from one hundred square meters. Everything, of course, still depends on the variety of mustard sown.

Sowing mustard in spring.

After the snow has melted and the soil has warmed up to 8°C, you can sow mustard. At this time, the buds on the cherry begin to grow and the currants bloom quite profusely.

There is no point in sowing mustard too early. Because if it rises, it will rise. And at the stage of cotyledon leaves it will sit in the soil until optimal temperature conditions for the development of this crop occur. And this is when the air temperature will confidently warm up to 18°C.

Mustard is a moisture-loving crop, so if you water it at the beginning of the growing season when the weather is dry, it will grow faster. When mustard grows in a continuous carpet, the soil under the mustard remains moist for a long time.

The growing season of mustard for green manure purposes is about 45 days from the moment of germination. Until the seeds ripen, mustard should be kept for up to 3 months. This is in case you want to collect your own mustard seeds.

When growing mustard as green manure, you should not allow it to overgrow. Because its green mass becomes coarser and is less susceptible to rapid decomposition and, accordingly, the release of nutrients to subsequent crops.

In addition, with the onset of the flowering phase, a rapid decrease in the leaf surface of mustard is observed due to the drying out of first the basal and then the stem leaves. Already 6–10 days after the onset of the full flowering phase, the leaf surface area of ​​mustard is halved. Which is also bad, since we need to incorporate as much green mass into the soil as possible.

Before mowing, mustard can be sprayed with preparations containing microorganisms. Which then have a beneficial effect on the decomposition of mustard and its transformation into organic substances available for subsequent plants.

Features of growing mustard.

Mustard cannot coexist in the same bed with other cruciferous plants, radishes and cabbage. Because it literally becomes a haven for the cruciferous flea beetle.

And if you plan to grow these crops on your site, then the mustard should be mowed before sowing them. Even if you plan to plant these crops at some distance from the mustard bed.

In addition, white mustard is a good partner for many crops, for example, it accelerates the growth and ripening of peas, beans and, not surprisingly, even grapes, and gardeners say that if you plant white mustard in the rows of the garden, you can forget about it forever about the codling moth and even aphids!

Sowing mustard to fertilize the soil in the fall.

In principle, mustard can be sown immediately after harvesting the main crop and without waiting for autumn. A good way to determine the deadline for sowing mustard in the fall is the 12 minus 35 method. Where 12 is the average weekly air temperature in your region. And 35 is the number of days that must be subtracted from this date.

That is, if on average during the week the air temperature in your region drops below 12°C on October 25, then mustard should be sown at the latest on September 20.

Article on the topic: The best green manure for the garden for autumn planting

We mow the mustard at the same time as when planting it in the spring. If frost previously damaged the mustard plantings, then nothing terrible can be done. The mustard in this state will go under the snow. And completely decompose before spring.