Save money by using green manure

Alison Patel writes: Enriching soil to ensure that new beds flourish is important but it can be an expensive business, the Times reports.

Rather than shelling out for compost made from recycled green waste, animal manure and spent mushrooms, gardeners can opt for green manure.

According to Alice Bowe of the Times, it is a cheap, effective alternative that will improve "both the structure and nutrient content" of soil.

Green manure is usually grown over a period of six weeks over winter, then chopped down and used in soil.

Not only will it enrich soil by preventing nutrients from escaping, it will also stop weeds growing.

Ms Bowe recommends gardeners roughly dig and weed out the area they are planning to put the manure.

Once this is done, the ground should be firmed by treading on it lightly and then she advises that the seeds are sown in rows about six inches apart, "or broadcast and raked in".

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