GREENER WAY TO BEAT THE WEEDS

Sown in the vegetable patch in late summer, green manures such as Vicia faba and Secale cereale suppress weeds and prevent nutrients in the soil from being washed away by rain. When they are dug over in spring, they release the nutrients back into the soil. With its thick, fibrous roots, Secale cereale helps maintain soil structure, and because Vicia faba is nitrogen fixing while S. cereale is not, they make a good pairing. The plants can be sown together as soon as the last of the summer vegetables are harvested, and both will overwinter well.