🌾 1. What Are Green Manures?
Green manures are plants sown not to be harvested, but to feed the soil.
Their mission: capture nutrients, protect the surface, fix nitrogen, and stimulate microbial life.
They are to the soil what breathing is to the body — a vital movement that balances, purifies, and regenerates.
According to FAO (2023), using green manures increases soil organic carbon content by 15–25% after two years of regular practice.
🌿 2. Ecological and Agronomic Benefits
🌱 1️⃣ Improving Soil Structure
Deep roots loosen the soil, improve aeration, and enhance water infiltration.
🌸 2️⃣ Restoring Fertility
Legumes such as clover, vetch, and alfalfa fix atmospheric nitrogen thanks to symbiotic bacteria (Rhizobium).
🪱 3️⃣ Feeding Microbial Life
Every root and decomposing leaf becomes food for fungi, bacteria, and earthworms.
🌾 4️⃣ Preventing Erosion and Nutrient Leaching
A covered soil is a protected soil — green manures act as a living shield against wind and rain.
🐝 5️⃣ Boosting Biodiversity
Their blooms attract pollinators and beneficial insects essential to ecological balance.
🌾 3. Main Families of Green Manures
| Family | Examples | Main Benefit |
| Legumes | Clover, alfalfa, vetch | Fix atmospheric nitrogen |
| Crucifers | Mustard, radish | Loosen soil, repel nematodes |
| Grasses | Rye, oats | Retain nutrients, prevent erosion |
| Melliferous plants | Phacelia, borage | Attract pollinators |
| 💡 SeedsWild Tip: Combine species (e.g. rye + clover) for natural synergy — balance structure and nutrients for long-term fertility. |
🌿 4. When and How to Sow Green Manures
🌻 Spring / Summer:
Sow phacelia, mustard, vetch, or alfalfa.
They grow fast, protect bare soil, and attract pollinators.
🍂 Autumn:
Choose rye, crimson clover, or fava beans — they cover and protect soil all winter while releasing nutrients in spring.
🌱 Sowing Technique:
- Broadcast seed evenly on lightly loosened soil.
- Water gently.
- Cut before flowering and leave on the surface or mix slightly into the soil.
🌾 5. Integrating Green Manures into the Soil Cycle
Once mown, green manures become:
- 🌿 Living mulch to preserve moisture
- 🍂 Green compost rich in nitrogen
- 🔁 A foundation for crop rotation
Combine them with:
👉 DIY Compost: 6 Essential Steps to Rich, Living Soil
👉 Nettle Fertilizer: Natural Bio-Boost for Plant Growth
🌍 6. SeedsWild and the Regeneration of Life
At SeedsWild, every green manure seed is a promise of renewal.
Our marketplace offers organic, open-pollinated, and climate-adapted seeds, while our SeedsWild AI helps gardeners:
- choose the right species for their soil and season,
- plan rotations intelligently,
- and monitor long-term soil fertility.
👉 Soil, Fertilization & Natural Inputs — The SeedsWild Guide
👉Permaculture & sustainable gardening – the SeedsWild Guide
🧡 7. Continue Your SeedsWild Journey
Every green manure you plant is a gift to the planet 🌍
Every root that dives into the soil stores carbon and awakens microbial life.
👉 Explore our organic green manure seed collection
👉 Join the SeedsWild community
👉 Share your garden with #SeedsWildGarden
📚 Scientific References
- FAO (2023) — Green Manures and Soil Health: Sustainable Practices for Climate Resilience
- INRAE (2023) — Impact of Cover Crops on Soil Biological Fertility
UNEP (2024) — Soil Restoration and Organic Matter Dynamics in Regenerative Agriculture
