Green Manure: The Low-Effort Cheat Code for Amazing Soil
My second love in the composting world and a highly under utilized component. Nothing should go to waste in your garden.
Want to improve your soil without hauling compost, buying fertilizers, or breaking your back digging? Meet green manure—a fancy term for growing plants just to chop them down and let them rot in place. Sound too easy? That’s because it is.
Think of it as feeding your soil without lifting a shovel—nature’s version of “set it and forget it.”
Green Manure Is More Than Just Cover Crops
Most people hear green manure and picture farmers sowing cover crops like clover or rye, only to plow them under. But let’s be real—you’re not plowing anything. You’re a low-effort gardener, not a farmer on a tractor.
So, what’s the move? Chop and drop.
Grow plants.
Chop them down.
Drop them right where they are.
Walk away.
Boom—instant mulch, soil food, and weed suppression with zero extra work.
What Can You Use for Green Manure?
Anything that grows fast and breaks down easily works. Some of the best options include:
Legumes (peas, beans, clover) – These guys fix nitrogen into the soil, making it extra fertile.
Fast-growing grasses (rye, oats, buckwheat) – Cover the ground and prevent weeds from taking over.
Comfrey & Borage – The nutrient powerhouses. Their deep roots pull minerals from way down in the soil and bring them up top.
Nasturtiums & Calendula – Pretty and useful! These guys are easy to chop and break down quickly.
Weeds! (Yes, weeds.) – Dandelions, nettles, grass clippings—if it grows, it goes.
My favourite so far are: peas, comfrey, nasturtiums, calendula, grass clippings and weeds! This is all grown consistently in, plus around my garden. I’m not growing things just for ‘green manure’ because it defeats the purpose of max growing capacity in our beds. This is probably a post for another time.
How to Use Green Manure (A.K.A. Gardening on Easy Mode)
Let it grow – Either sow cover crops on purpose or embrace the weeds you already have.
Chop it down – When your plants get nice and bushy, grab some pruners (or just rip them out like a garden gremlin).
Drop it in place – No need to haul it away. Just let it lay there like a natural, homemade mulch.
Let nature do the work – Worms, microbes, and fungi will break everything down for you. You? You get to sip your iced coffee and admire your thriving garden.
Why You Need Green Manure in Your Life
✔ It feeds your soil – Your garden gets a steady supply of organic matter without you lifting a finger.
✔ It blocks weeds – A thick layer of decomposing plant matter smothers out the competition.
✔ It locks in moisture – Works just like mulch to keep your soil damp and happy.
✔ It boosts soil life – Worms love this stuff, and happy worms = thriving plants.
Green manure is gardening for people who want results without the effort. No expensive fertilizers, no hauling bags of compost, no digging. Just grow, chop, drop, and let nature handle the rest.
The best part? It works every single season—so the more you do it, the better your soil gets.
HAPPY COMPOSTING!
I agree, I have a different perspective on "weeds" than most. Watching how my neglect of the garden (unintentional) over the last few years has actually helped the soil...it's really interesting. OK, so we end up with a forest of weeds 4 feet tall...but all of them except Canada Thistle are edible if I should choose. The only things I want RID OF are that thistle and the brome grass (that stuff is tough, it will take over anywhere it gets into even if that spot or area has a thriving and varied plant base already).
we have lived in our house for a decade and have never once raked up leaves.
we must have the most amazing topsoil at this point.