2/28/2018 5 Green Manure Crops You can Plant to Heal the Soil

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FOOD AS MEDICINE HEALTH SCIENCE 

5 Green Manure Crops You can Plant to

Heal the Soil

CROPS
BY CHRISTINA SARICH
POSTED ON DECEMBER 20, 2013

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2/28/2018 5 Green Manure Crops You can Plant to Heal the Soil

Much of the soil in our nation has become infertile

due to the overuse of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and the persistent
practice of mono-cropping which depletes nutrients from the soil, and thus the crops that
are grown within it. Our current nutrient-depleted soil may soon lead to the impossible
growth of crops <http://naturalsociety.com/nutrient-depleted-soil-soon-impossible-crop-growth-big-ag/>,
causing food shortages and more increased food prices. We need to change our farming
practices to save the soil – this is where green manure comes in. 

Green manure is the nal product when crops are grown to be sewn back into the soil,
instead of harvested for human consumption. You can think of them as plant o erings
to Mother Nature that will increase future crop yields, help make plants more
resistant to pests, and keep the soil fertile for another season.

Small farmholders and home gardeners alike can bene t from green manure. In a time of
food sovereignty issues created by corporations like Monsanto, practices like these are
paramount. Agroecologist, Roland Bunch, states in his report, Restoring the Soil
<http://foodgrainsbank.ca/uploads/restoring%20the%20soil.pdf>:

“Millions of smallholder farmers around the world, however, are facing a serious
soil fertility crisis, and many of these families also su er from food insecurity. Soil
infertility and erosion losses in many regions of the world are standing in the way
of increased food production and improved livelihoods for many smallholder
farmers. Maintaining, and in many cases recovering soil fertility, has become a
major challenge facing agricultural professionals and farmers.”

Just 4 Benefits of Green Manure

Green manure is less expensive than animal manure, and is usually more trustworthy
since many animal manures are often laced with antibiotics and growth hormones.
Green manure, once grown for a few seasons, is practically free.

Green manure can also help create vital soil in areas with little or no top soil due to
water run o or construction that often tears away at vast tracts of land without
considering the long term e ects. The best thing about green manure – it deters
weeds
<http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/how_to/438015/how_to_grow_a_green_manure.html>,
even without the use of harmful herbicides. Earthworms and bene cial bacteria love
green manure, too, and these critters are great for your garden.

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2/28/2018 5 Green Manure Crops You can Plant to Heal the Soil

Poor and exhausted soils really perk up from planting this type of manure as well, so if
you are planning your Spring garden now, consider planting some of these crops
instead of relying on commercial fertilizers which are often full of plant-weakening
chemicals.

Green manure also helps with soil erosion due to weather, like wind and rain.

Read: 4 Ways to Heal and Replenish our Damaged Soil <http://naturalsociety.com/4-ways-heal-

replenish-damaged-soil-food/>

A good soil is usually balanced in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous, plus lots of
trace minerals that come from decomposed organic matter – not industrial fertilizers. The
run-o alone from chemical fertilizers upsets the entire eco-system from the microscopic
bene cial bugs and worms in your garden, all the way up the food chain, to trees and
people.

By planting the following green manure crops you can help revitalize tired soil. Just be
sure to add a good organic compost too before your next planting, and your garden
should grow beautifully without using pesticides and herbicides because the plants will
be stronger and better able to resist disease and pests. Also be sure to plant organic,
heirloom, non-GMO seeds.

These 5 crops are notorious for replacing nitrogen to pesticide depleted soil:

1. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) – Not only can alfalfa plants restore your soil by adding
nitrogen back to the soil, but they are also ages-old medicinal plants that support good
health. Alfalfa is full of vitamin C, K, and calcium. You can sew some of the sprouts for
yourself as a nutrient-dense addition to salads, and let the rest grow an entire season
for a deep rooting into your soil. Then till them in when you’re ready to plant in the
spring or late summer.

2. Broad Beans or Fava Beans (Vicia faba) – These beans grow very easily, and produce
a great nitrogen- xing green manure crop. You can also enjoy some as they grow to
get extra folate (which helps prevent birth defects), energy-giving Vitamin B, vegetable
protein, and potassium.

3. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) – Even the mainstream media

<http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/12/healing-properties-red-clover/> admits that Red Clover
has amazing healing bene ts. It is used in some Essiac tea <http://naturalsociety.com/essiac-
tea-4-secret-ingredients-cured-thousands-cancer-patients/> recipes to prevent cancer, and can
also help with skin conditions as well as purify the blood. It is also a wonderful crop to
plant to revitalize your soil. Just make sure you sew the seeds at least 6 inches apart to
allow space for the beautiful owering plants. You can allow some to grow to full
maturity, and plow the rest into the soil before they ower to add nutrients back into
the earth.

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2/28/2018 5 Green Manure Crops You can Plant to Heal the Soil

4. Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) – Lupin is a deep rooting legume which you can eat
and also till into the soil before it grows to full maturity to replace nitrogen. You can
even plant this crop in 8 week rotations to keep the soil viable. Lupin is being called the
next ‘super grain’
<http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/nutrition+tips/is+lupin+the+next+super+grainr,22849> since it
is 45-50% protein and full of vitamins.

5. Winter tare (Vicia villosa) or Hairy Vetch (Vicia sativa) – Great nitrogen- xing crops
with an extensive root system that helps to prevent soil erosion, these are amazing
plants that even grow during the winter months in many parts of the world. Since the
crops grow into long 12-foot vines, they can also act like a blanket for the soil during
winter months.

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POST WRITTEN BY

Christina Sarich:

Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up

Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New
World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the
Art of Yoga.

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