Rye 25 m² - Green Manure

Rye is a cereal that can be used as a green manure between two crops. It is known for improving soil structure and clearing the soil of certain undesirable weeds like couch grass. This green manure also helps to combat soil leaching or rain compaction. Sowing from September to October.

Rye belongs to the Poaceae family (formerly known as Gramineae). It has the particularity of being very hardy and has rapid growth. It is an autumn green manure that can be intercalated between two vegetable crops. Rye produces long stems of 1 to 2 meters (3 to 7 feet) in height. It can be sown pure or in association with a legume. Its dense and powerful roots will help to loosen the soil. It also has an allelopathic effect that delays the development of certain undesirable weeds, like couch grass for example. Finally, rye adapts to all types of soils.

Widely used in organically cultivated gardens, green manures like rye have many advantages. They nourish and improve the soil by providing different nutrients and stimulating the soil's microbial life. Their roots will loosen, decompact, and aerate the soil. Moreover, the presence of a vegetative cover protects the soil from leaching (nutrient loss in sandy soil), rain compaction (formation of a crust in loamy soil), and erosion (caused by runoff in case of heavy rains on sloping terrain). This vegetative cover also helps to limit weed growth by preventing the growth of undesirable weeds. Finally, green manures are often attractive to pollinators.

Green manures are sown on uncultivated plots or intercalary plots, between vegetable rows. They are either naturally destroyed by frost or cut before seed formation. Once destroyed, they can be left in place as mulch, or be crushed and incorporated into the surface layers of the soil, or be collected and added to compost.