Organic Matter

Green manure crops are crops grown to provide fresh, narrow carbon:nitrogen organic matter to the soil. Any time a part of the garden is idle for a six weeks or more, a green manure crop can be grown. This crop will not only provide organic matter, but it will also help control weeds and reduce soil erosion.

Several types of manure can be used on a garden. The manure may be applied as decomposed manure, for example barnyard manure from an old manure pile, or as fresh manure. Many manures contain a lot of bedding and some are predominantly bedding with little or no animal waste.

A mulch is any loose material put on the soil surface at the base of the garden plants. In nature virtually all plants are mulched -- as living organisms die and fall to the surface, they accumulate and are slowly decomposed from the bottom of the layer upward. It is through these mulches that nature recycles nutrients.