Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Thursday 10 September 2026 · early autumn
Sow Winter Green Manure to Protect Bare Soil
Sowing a winter green manure now keeps your empty garden soil healthy and weed-free until spring.
20 minuteseasyseeds sowing
Clear away dead summer crops and pull up any weeds from your empty vegetable beds.
Rake the soil surface gently to break up clumps and create a crumbly texture.
Scatter winter tare seeds evenly over the bare soil.
Rake the soil again very lightly to cover the seeds with about two centimeters of dirt.
Water the soil thoroughly using a gentle spray to help the seeds germinate.
Why it works
Winter tares are hardy plants that grow over winter, acting as a living blanket that prevents heavy rain from washing away soil nutrients. In spring, you dig them back into the soil, where they break down and release natural nitrogen to feed your next crops.
A dense, bushy evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It features oval, leathery, dark green leaves with silvery undersides and small, insignificant cream-colored flowers followed by small, ribbed fruits
Plants may be evolving the wrong traits for a warming world
Researchers found that morning glories experienced a 96 percent drop in their rate of climate adaptation over nine years. Pressure to grow larger flowers to attract scarce pollinators prevented the plants from adjusting to changing weather. This conflict shows how pollinator loss makes it harder for plants to survive climate shifts.
On 10 September 1806, American botanist David Hosack wrote to Thomas Jefferson asking for seeds collected during the Lewis and Clark expedition. Hosack wanted new plant species for Manhattan's Elgin Botanic Garden to advance medicine and agriculture.
