Green manure

Digging in the green manure

I sowed some green manure five weeks ago in the bed where I am going to plant strawberries in late summer. This was packaged as a spring green manure and to be used as a soil conditioner. With the weather being wet and sunny last week it had really shot up. The packet instructed to dig in when 9'' tall. As I am not sure when I'll have much time at the allotment the next few days I thought I ought to get it dug in now. I have to be sure it does not flower and go to seed as that would be a disaster for the strawberries.

Companion planting

A row of Sweet Alyssum was sowed along the edge of potatoes. It has tiny white flowers which attract insects like hoverflies whose larva devour aphids. In the corners of the strawberry bed, under the gooseberry standards, I sowed some Love-in-a-Mist (nigella damascena) which was given to me by a gardening teacher.