As I start to harvest the last of the summer produce, I am beginning to prepare those newly empty beds for green manure. I didn't do this last year, and when I started to dig in, I found the ground rock hard. So I am hoping that not only with the green manure add benefit to the soil, but that it will also help to keep it light and turnable.
I also need to work out what green manure I can use in each section. One of the green manures are field beans - since they are beans, I have to consider where they'll fit in my rotational scheme - and so that means getting next years layout ready.
So, here it is!
One form of green manure you may want to consider is comfrey (symphytum officinale). The plant grows very large and very quickly and has large leaves that are excellent feed. You can simply add them to the soil, or make a barrel that has water and entire leaves left to rot/ferment in the water, and then use the water to fertilize. You need to leave some of the leaves in autumn to rot down on the area where the comfrey is growing, so that the comfrey soil doesn't get depleted.
(and you can use the comfrey leaves for bruising and scrapes too so it is useful to have around. Here is a link to a document that explains the various uses of comfrey, including using it as a liquid feed or regular green manure:
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/comfrey.PDF
One of the benefits of having an allotment surrounded by grizzled old hand gardners is that at least 3 of them pointed out to me that the entire front edge of my plot was not a long line of nasty weeds, but in fact comfrey. I transplanted some into a new area - which is marked on my map as sunflowers and comfrey, and I have a big container full of two years worth of rotting comfrey tea that I add to my watering can.
When I planted out my chitting potatoes I laid shredded comfrey leaves in the base of the dug out rows too, to give the potatoes some extra boost.
So much for me taking a closer look at your tidy little chart there eh?
I love my comfrey, and I'm glad you've already got it :D
Well, I'd have never known if not for the old guys. I thought it was the same thing as the borage that grows like weeds all over my backyard.