When grown as a green manure, rye effectively prevents leaching, protects the soil from wind and water erosion, and improves soil structure. It can be sown on any available plot. However, the Guide to Comprehensive Management of Organic and Diversified Market Gardens* cautions against sowing too soon after the rye has been destroyed: “Based on field observations, rye destroyed in the spring appears to have an allelopathic effect on corn. It is therefore highly likely that this effect also exists for certain vegetables.”

* Guide to the overall management of organic and diversified market garden farms by Bio-Action, Équiterre 2009

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• Rye has an impressive fibrous root system.
• This biennial variety survives the rigors of winter and uses soil moisture early in spring for rapid growth.
• The seeds are sown broadcast on any free plot from the beginning of September to the end of October and germinate in 3 to 6 days (soil temperature between 1 and 20 °C).
• The young plants are buried the following spring, 2 to 3 weeks before the establishment of vegetable crops.
• Burying them is more difficult when they are cut down at full maturity.
• Seeding rate: 2 kg/100 ^m² – 4 lb/1000 sq ^ft

Buckwheat is very well adapted to poor soils and is renowned for its excellent weed-suppressing properties. Its rapid growth makes it a perfect choice for use before or after the main crop, as it can be plowed into the soil after only 30 to 40 days, which coincides with the start of its flowering.

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• Buckwheat, used as a green manure, takes 30 to 65 days to grow. Its well-branched root system allows for good structuring of the top few centimeters of soil.
• This plant is a phosphorus extractor that purifies the soil.
• The most effective green manure for smothering weeds.
• Very sensitive to cold, buckwheat must be sown once the risk of frost has passed (from the beginning of June to the end of July in soil at 15-25 °C).
• The seeds germinate in 2 to 6 days and the plants are returned to the soil as green manure after 30 to 65 days.
• Although its flowers attract many beneficial insects, it is best to bury them when they appear to prevent them from making seeds.
• Seeding rate: 2 kg/100 ^m² – 4 lb/1000 sq ^ft

Forage peas benefit from intercropping, as their climbing stems need support to cling to. Their rapid growth and high cold resistance allow them to be sown early in spring or autumn with excellent results.

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• Peas grow in all types of soil. Germination takes place between 5 and 14 days.
• They can be sown as soon as the soil can be worked in April and until the beginning of September in soil between 1 and 24 °C.

• The dried aerial parts decompose very quickly in the spring.

• It is sown in furrows at a depth of 2-3 cm.
• The plants can be returned to the soil as green manure after 30 to 65 days.
• Peas provide the soil with a rich source of nitrogen.

• Seeding rate: 2 kg/100 ^m² – 4 lb/1000 sq ^ft

A versatile mix that can be used in your vegetable garden or on a larger area (fields).

• Contains various green manures to revitalize your soil.
• Use at the beginning of the season, following a crop or in the fall.
• Competes with unwanted weeds.
• Improves soil structure with a significant supply of organic matter and humus.
• Deep roots that aerate and limit erosion.
• Revitalizes the soil while promoting beneficial root biology.

Coverage for new sowing: 5 kg covers 760 ^m² / 8180 sq ^ft

Mustard's rapid growth is one of the qualities that makes it an excellent green manure, but it's not the only one! Under good conditions, mustard seedlings can reach their full height in just one month. It can therefore be used as a green manure in spring and summer.

• Its deep roots excel at loosening heavy soils and its aerial parts buried in the soil provide the latter with a first-rate supply of nitrogen.
• When buried during full flowering, its role as a nematicide should not be neglected either, especially on a plot where potatoes have been grown.
• Because it grows very quickly and is not afraid of root competition, it covers the soil immediately and protects it from erosion . For faster decomposition, it is buried when young and still tender.
• If you want to attract pollinators with its pretty, bright yellow flowers, allow more time for decomposition in the soil, as it will be less tender. However, do this before the seeds ripen if you don't want it to self-seed readily!
• It can be sown until the end of August , as it tolerates frost .
• As winter approaches, instead of burying it, leave its cut stems on the surface to provide soil life with a protective cover against erosion and cold.
• In spring, earthworms will be encouraged to come to the surface to collect them, aerating the soil in the process. Furthermore, by acting as mulch , they will reduce weed growth.
• Sowing technique : broadcast, followed by a pass with a rake to lightly bury the seeds.
• Seeding rate: 300 g/60 ^m² – 0.6 lb/600 sq ^ft
• Sowing depth : 0.5 to 1 cm.
• Photo credit: Amit Kumar
• Format: 300 g

A cousin of the broad bean, the fava bean originates from ancient Egypt, where it was among the first cultivated plant species. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras and his followers forbade themselves from consuming its beans, considering them to be of the same substance used to create human beings. It was said that the beans served as a place of transmigration for souls and that eating them was tantamount to feeding on the dead. Legend has it that Pythagoras was overtaken and killed by his enemies because he refused to flee through a field of fava beans!

• The broad bean is very resistant to cold and tolerates poor or clay soils and high levels of mineral salts.
• Its pea-like pods have been part of the human diet for millennia, as a vegetable or as flour.
• They are also valued in animal feed, but the plant itself is a champion at enriching the soil with nitrogen.
• It can be sown as soon as the soil can be worked in April and until the beginning of September, in soil between 1 and 24 °C.
• The seeds germinate in just 3 to 6 days.

• It is sown in furrows 2-3 cm deep, leaving ± 10 cm between plants.
• The plants are returned to the soil as green manure after 30 to 65 days.

• Sowing rate: 250 g/12.5 ^m²
• Sowing rate: 1 kg/50 ^m²
• Sowing rate: 1.5 kg/75 ^m²

Oats and field peas make a very interesting combination, as they both grow very quickly and are quite cold-hardy. This mixture provides excellent ground cover, making weed growth virtually impossible. As with oats, this mixture is ideally used for a period of two months, either before or after a main crop.

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• Oats and peas grow in all types of soil. Germination takes between 5 and 14 days.
• They can be sown as soon as the soil can be worked in April and until the beginning of September in soil between 1 and 24 °C.
• They are sown broadcast and the plants are turned back into the soil as green manure after 30 to 65 days.

• Compared to oats, the root mass of peas is very small, but its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil is almost double.

• This mixture is well suited to cold conditions, but will not survive the winter.

• Seeding rate: 2 kg/100 ^m² – 4 lb/1000 sq ^ft

Oats are a grass well-adapted to cold conditions and grow in all types of soil. Like other grasses, they effectively suppress weeds, which struggle to establish themselves. Their deep roots improve soil structure and water penetration, in addition to providing a valuable source of organic matter.

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• Oats are a fast-growing cereal that thrives in all types of soil. Germination takes place between 5 and 14 days.
• It can be sown as soon as the soil can be worked in April and until the beginning of September in soil between 1 and 24 °C.
• It is sown broadcast and the plants are turned back into the soil as green manure after 30 to 65 days.
• It is well adapted to cold conditions, but does not survive the winter.
• Seeding rate: 2 kg/100 ^m² – 4 lb/1000 sq ^ft