We, Bulbaholic and I, have used a green manure on the veggie garden - it wasn't too successful as we sowed late in the year. If you are looking at sowing now it should work well. Which one were you planning on using?

As Mg says above, our experience wasd not up to much. The problem, as I see it, is that the green manure crops grow at the same time of year as your vegetable crops, so you can have one or the other. If you have a spare piece of land, say a five course rotation with one fallow plot, then you could usefully grow a green manure on that.

Green manures are fine as long as youi have the time to dig them in before they flower, which is how they work best. Otherwise you're just using up nutrients that your veg will need. Black plastic, although unsightly, does a great job on parts of an allotment that can't be worked on yet. They clean the soil by suppressing all the annual weeds and are ready for sowing as soon as you lift it up. I'd be inclined to leave it if you are short of time to work the soil. Think about it, if you have the time to sow green manure, why not sow crops?

A nitrogen fixer like Field Beans (there are others but my mind's gone blank - annual clover ?) can be fitted in and helps boost the nutrient value as well as helping to reduce leaching.
Something like grazing rye will help protect ground when not in use.
Both the beans and rye are in through winter.

Sorry agree with Volunteer...

I would leave the black plastic too.You don't know what thugs might be hiding underneath it. I got rid of thistles and rosebay willowherb to name but two when I took over a new allotment by leaving the ground covered for about six months.

I've not tried green manure, but its worth a try on part of the land. Why not sow peas and beans you can eat - then dig the whole plant in after cropping.

To all of you,
Thank you so much. I am a bit overwhelmed by the allotment, by the new website...
I haven't found out yet how to replay individually to a given answer. so I try to thank all of you in this way.
It's so good to get all your replies...now I have to look up in the dictionary (being German)...then make a decission, or apply several of methods.
Anyway: a huge Thank you.
xxxRenate

Renate Sie kopieren und einfügen können unsere Antworten in so etwas wie Google-Übersetzer. Wie Sie uns geantwortet haben alle die richtige ist - viel Glück mit Ihren Kleingarten.

Renate you can copy and paste our answers into something like Google translator. The way you have replied to us all is the correct one - good luck with your allotment.