Allotment update July 2026

After the embarrassment of getting a warning letter from the council in 2024 we’ve made more time this year to ‘knock it into shape’. Exactly what I mean by ‘knock it into shape’ is, of course, to make it more aesthetically palatable for anyone with a clip-board casting their eye over it.

Our two-year hiatus (see previous blog) which prompted raised eyebrows from the allotment police may have caused the plot to look unkempt, but the reality is that other lives were benefiting hugely from our inertia. Anecdotally, during the little time we did spend there during that period we noticed a little more activity in terms of wildlife which has been noticeably in decline since we first started the plot 25 years ago. Of course, this may well have been because we weren’t rushing around like mad things and (like during Covid) had more time to observe who lives and thrives there.

To their credit, the council did acknowledge the value of overgrown plots in terms of benefits for wildlife but when the demand for allotments is so great (people wait years to get a plot) it’s perfectly reasonable to make available the ones that have been abandoned.

Interestingly, our inactivity (in effect two years) seems to have had an unintended consequence of improving fertility in general. Couple that with mulching a couple of beds with hay from the neighbouring micro-orchard and home-made compost the yields have been better than expected.

It’s easy to spot the beds that have received the lion’s share of our home-made compost. Courgettes and sweet corn have never grown so fast and so big. Tomatoes outside are also looking promising.

Curiously beetroot and beans, sown where phacelia (green manure) had been grown, were less enthusiastic. I’m fairly certain that this is down to the couch grass which hides in the roots of step-over fruit trees around each bed preventing us from ever getting on board with no-dig gardening. Perhaps when our supply of home-made compost matches or exceeds demand we will become more proficient.

As far as green manure is concerned phacelia and red clover has been sown among brassicas which are now big enough to tolerate the competition. They’ll protect the soil, feed microbes and help maintain fertility without relying on imported inputs.

My experience of green manures pales in comparison with the likes of Iain Tolhurst of Tolhurst Organics and other veganic farmers that rely on them as a means of fertility but they can make a difference between soil that gradually weakens and soil that improves year after year.

If you’re new to “green manure” the term simply refers to plants grown not for harvest but to benefit the soil. Traditionally these crops are dug in while still green, although some gardeners prefer to cut them down and leave the roots undisturbed. Either way, the principle is the same: living plants are used to nourish and protect the ground and minimise areas of bare soil which, left exposed over winter could result in nutrients being washed away. Green manure, therefore, acts as a protective blanket their roots binding the soil while foliage shields the surface from erosion and compaction.

The role of green manure in supporting biodiversity should not be underestimated either. Flowering varieties provide nectar and pollen at times of year when food for insects may be scarce. Phacelia, our go-to green manure, buckwheat and crimson clover can hum with bees on warm days, while the cover they provide also offers shelter for beetles and other invertebrates. In this sense, green manures are not simply feeding crops; they are helping sustain the wider ecology of the allotment.

Different green manures provide different benefits. Legumes such as field beans, tares and clovers are especially valuable because they work with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. These bacteria capture atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into forms plants can use. This natural process enriches the ground and reduces the need for additional fertiliser. Other crops, such as rye grass or grazing rye, are excellent for producing large amounts of organic matter. Their dense root systems also help improve heavy clay soils by opening channels that allow better drainage and aeration.

Mustard is among the quickest green manures to establish and is particularly useful in late summer when beds become vacant after crops such as onions or early potatoes. Within a few weeks it produces a lush canopy that suppresses weeds and covers exposed ground.

One of the great advantages of green manures is that they keep roots in the soil throughout the year. Increasingly, growers are recognising that soil fertility depends not merely on adding compost but on supporting the living web beneath the surface. Plant roots release sugars and other compounds that feed fungi, bacteria and countless microscopic organisms. In return, these organisms help cycle nutrients and build stable soil structure. A plot with living roots for most of the year is generally healthier and more resilient than one left bare through winter.

Interestingly, so-called ‘weeds’ will do a similar job which is why our plot was reasonably fertile after a two-season layover. Green manures however are aesthetically more acceptable and easier to manage.

Timing is important. Fast-growing green manures can be sown between main crops during the growing season, while hardier varieties are sown in autumn to overwinter. Winter tares, grazing rye and crimson clover can all survive cold weather and continue protecting the soil until spring. Before sowing the next crop they can be cut down and either lightly incorporated or left on the surface as a mulch.

How they are managed depends largely on your gardening philosophy. Traditional allotment practice involved digging green manures deeply into the soil. This certainly adds organic matter, but it can also disturb soil structure and fungal networks. Many gardeners now favour ‘chop and drop’, a gentler approach where plants are cut at ground level and left where they fall to decompose naturally. This method mimics natural systems more closely and causes less disruption to soil life.

Green manures are also useful tools in weed control. A vigorous sowing of rye or clover can outcompete many annual weeds, reducing the amount of time spent hoeing and clearing beds. On allotments like ours where couch grass or other perennial weeds are a problem, repeated cycles of dense green manure crops can, in theory at least, gradually weaken infestations while simultaneously improving the soil. I just need to find the time to put it into practice.