Green Manure Mustard Seed...is it worth growing?

[selfraising]

Has anyone else used this before and is it worthwhile doing? A friend has given me some bio-sterilant mustard seed to sow. How does that differ from other green manures? Any advice would be great

[MaureenHall]

I'll look forward to the replies on this thread. I've never grown any kind of green manure before and I'd like to know the best one before I make a start. Is it best done in Autumn when crops have been harvested, the same as if you were applying farmyard or other manure?

[oldie]

There are quite a few other posts on the vine about green manures. Garden Organic have some good info and produce a little booklet and John Harrison's book Veg. Growing month by month has a little chart. Edwin Tuckers seed catalogue has a one page chart and sells a good selection.
Bio-sterilant mustard should be cut down before it flowers and dug in to get the benefit of the sterilisation effect. Victoriana nurseries has some instructions on their web site.
I have used ordinary mustard and just cut it down and left it as a mulch. Do NOT use if you have club root as it is a brassica. This year I put in a small patch of field beans and tares to cover a difficult bare patch. Seems to have done a good job and has just been dug in.

[Plot17B]

Hello,
we didn't use mustard just because it's a brassica, and instead went for buckwheat and Phacelia. Both grew fantastically, dug in well, attracted lots of hoverflies and Phacelia overwintered nicely acting as weed surpressant.

We've just planted our early spuds in last years green manure plot, but at 90 degrees to the 50:50 buckwheat:Phacelia seeding. Maincrop and salad spuds will follow the same transverse plan. Reason for this is that can see any qualitative or quantitative change in crops against each green manure. So can't report on their benefit until harvest time though I'm afraid! But they were very easy (unlike our rye grass which really did give a poor yield). Cheers!
P17B

[selfraising]

Thanks for all the advice. I take it you sow them after your last harvest, autumn time and then left over winter, is that correct? I am only going to grow brassicas in one bed which is going to have winter crops in it so wanted to use the mustard for other two beds.

[Plot17B]

Hi, well we did a 5 rotational bed system (spud, brassica, legume, root & green) so just grew, regrew and regrew green manures in the dedicated bed last year & over winter.
As each bed is 5x5metres (including the fruit and perenial beds) we felt we could afford to give over a space each year without impacting our goals. I'm sure not everyone would want to/can afford to "lose" that space annually, but it fits perfectly what we are trying to achieve and rests & feeds the ground. Each to their own!
Hopefully Oldie's response and others with first-hand mustard experience will be a help you!
P17B

[Snadger]

What you probably have selfraisng is Caliente mustard? If so can you let me know where you got it from because i fancy giving it a try!

Here's some good info! Plant Solutions Limited Organic Compatibles - Caliente Mustard

[di]

What you probably have selfraisng is Caliente mustard? If so can you let me know where you got it from because i fancy giving it a try!

Here's some good info! Plant Solutions Limited Organic Compatibles - Caliente Mustard

I've also been considering giving this a go...having read one of your posts that it posibly kills off couch grass??...anythings worth a try eh?!
I've found out that Tozer Direct sell it.

[selfraising]

Hi Snadger I've just spoken to my friend and she says she got it from Victoriana nurseries. Have found the link (see below). The trial pack (which is the one I think I have) is �5.99 and is said to be enought to cover 50 square metres, more than enough for me with my 3 raised beds!
Bio Sterilant Mustard Seed (Trial Pack - 50 square metres)

[selfraising]

Oh and thanks for the link, looks like the same stuff!