Price range: £1.85 through £70.00
A deep taproot which brings up nutrients from the sub soil. Gives lots of organic matter which dies down over over winter to be dug in in the spring. Sow from May to August.
1Kg covers approx. 1000m2
Rate per acre: 4Kg
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Green Manure Fodder Radish,
Latin name Raphanus sativus
Approximate coverage 180m2 per Kg, 22Kg per acre
Green manures are plants grown specifically to improve the soil. They do this in a number of ways: by being deep rooted; by covering the soil to prevent leaching of nutrients; by fixing nitrogen; by breaking up the soil with fibrous root structures. In all cases they are dug or mulched back into the soil adding organic matter which helps retain moisture and feeds the soil’s beneficial organisms. To dig in chop up the green manure with a spade and turn it into the top few inches, 10-12cm or so, of soil. Mulching out is the easier option, cut down if necessary and leave the clippings on the soil then cover to exclude the light using cardboard and grass cuttings or a biodegradable ground cover. Keep covered for at least 6 weeks, but longer if you do not need the ground, by which time most of the green manure would have broken down and incorporated into the soil by earthworms.
Good soil is the major and underlying principle for organic growing and green manures play a vital role. Use them to cover bare ground particularly over winter.
Fodder radish is a quick growing brassica. It’s long tap roots bring up nutrients from the sub soil. It is quick growing and can be used where the ground is bare for just a short time.
Some studies have shown that, like other brassicas, it has a biofumigant action which suppress weeds, and some soil-borne pests and diseases.
How to grow
Sow May – August.
Normally you would have recently harvested a crop from the ground where now you are going to grow green manure. In which case not much cultivation is required. Fork or rake over to get a fairly good tilth and remove any weeds. Scatter the seed over evenly and lightly rake in. Water the seedlings if the weather is very dry.
When to dig in
You can allow the plants to die down in winter and dig them in the following spring but fodder radish is best used quickly when there is a good amount of green organic matter to be dug in or mulched out.