We have been using stable waste to fill the beds in the garden, and it has been a fantastic growing medium. We have also had an unexpected benefit. The horses were obviously being feed a healthy diet that contained oats. So after nature has taken its course, the stable waste has given us a fantastic "Green Manure" crop of oats.
At this Thursday evenings garden session, we start to incorporate it back into the soil. What does this mean? Well basically digging over the bed, so that the crop is turned over. The key to doing this is to make sure it is done before the seed heads form.
So why did we do this?
- Green manure has all the benefits of classic composting.
- The crop supplies extra organic matter to feed / breed beneficial soil organisms.
- Create a barrier to other weeds forming.
- The roots of the crop help to break up compacted ground, to allow water and nutrients to penetrate more deeply (not really a problem in our beds, but couldn't hurt).
Give it a go in your beds. What have you get to loose?
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