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Topic:
Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Topic: Asleep in the autumn sunshine (Read 6582 times)
Marymary
Hectare
Posts: 1,584
Norwich
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #20 on:
November 23, 2006, 20:34:02 »
Lovely image. :) Sure it was a mouse - last time I bought a bale of straw we got rats living in it so have stuck to buying smaller amounts.
Agree SS you can never get rid of it from the car - always amuses people from work when I give them lifts - my car is more like a tractor on the inside.
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manicscousers
Hectare
Posts: 16,474
www.golborne-allotments.co.uk
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #21 on:
November 23, 2006, 20:38:48 »
ours is more like a second shed :)
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Common_Clay
Acre
Posts: 387
Loved
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #22 on:
December 07, 2006, 02:18:32 »
You have so much straw supersprout! Where do you manage to get it all? Doesn't it cost you quite a bit? And doesn't it take out a fair bit of nitrogen from the soil?
Sorry for the questions, never used straw before. :)
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supersprout
Hectare
Posts: 4,660
mulch mad!
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #23 on:
December 07, 2006, 07:58:44 »
Hello cc you're welcome :)
Straw is £1.50 for a rectangular bale from the farm shop in Downham Market. I visit a friend there regularly and stuff six into the back of my van if I need to top up. That's why I use straw, it's cheap and easy for me to get hold of, and to shift around the plot. Hay might be better, but it's more expensive! One bale will fluff up to cover five or more beds - so yes, I've spent upwards of £50 on straw during the year on my two plots :-[ but I suppose some peeps spend that on a pot of face cream ::)
Spent hops, grass cuttings, leaves, leafmould, manure, compost (raw and cooked) and shredded paper go on whenever I can get them free. Offset £50 against no digging or hoeing, happy plants, crumbly soil, hardly any weeds, moist soil in hot summers, and a thriving worm population and it seems like a reasonable trade :D
Yes, any unrotted organic matter will use nitrogen from the soil to decompose, then give it back at some point. I've only been doing this for a year, but I'm gonna sprinkle Rooster (slow release organic chicken pellets) in March/April for any plants that might need a boost, and trust the rain to carry it through the mulch.
Rotavators, double diggers and mulchers all seem to get good results here, that's part of the joy of it all - each to their own - this way suit me well so I think I'll stick with it ;)
Once or twice a year I take the van for a valet, won't tell you what they charge me to get all the bits of straw out :-[ :P
«
Last Edit: December 07, 2006, 08:05:59 by supersprout
»
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Common_Clay
Acre
Posts: 387
Loved
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #24 on:
December 08, 2006, 02:17:15 »
Thanks a lot for that supersprout, sounds like a great idea... if only I knew where to get cheap straw from around here, I feel pet shops would be more expensive.
So do you absolutely never dig? All you do is put the straw on and that's it? What's the catch?!
;) :) ;D
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Robert_Brenchley
Hectare
Posts: 15,593
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #25 on:
December 08, 2006, 07:15:09 »
There isn't one. Once you've got the perennial weeds out, the only need for digging is to lift root veg.
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Birmingham UK
http://thisandthat-robert.blogspot.com/
Emagggie
Hectare
Posts: 4,552
Out to lunch.
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #26 on:
December 08, 2006, 16:42:02 »
CC, do you have a Livery yard or riding stables nearby? if you do, you could try asking them who their supplier is.Probably going to be your cheapest option. Or like me, scoop up the loose stuff from the floor of the storage area and bag it.
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Smile, it confuses people.
Common_Clay
Acre
Posts: 387
Loved
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #27 on:
December 10, 2006, 21:01:25 »
Unfortunately neither... only place I can think of is pet shops, still probably expensive though.
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triffid
Hectare
Posts: 893
Escaped... usually to my plot in NW London :)
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #28 on:
December 10, 2006, 21:20:30 »
CC -- if you've transport, there are some stables on Clamp Hill (Stanmore) ...
Might they be worth a try?
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supersprout
Hectare
Posts: 4,660
mulch mad!
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #29 on:
December 11, 2006, 05:23:08 »
or near-ish straw merchants? If there's vehicle access to near your plot, they might deliver if you ordered a trailer full, and squarey bales are easy to shift and barrow :)
Bury Farm Fodder Store
Bury Farm, Edgwarebury Lane, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8QS
Tel: 020 8958 2932
LHH Animal Feeds
Sloemans Farm, Whitewebbs Rd, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 9HW
Tel: 020 8363 4638
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Common_Clay
Acre
Posts: 387
Loved
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #30 on:
December 12, 2006, 02:06:32 »
Thanks for the posts... triffid, no, unfortunately not, though I remember the stables up in Stanmore, went to school near there!
Supersprout, thanks so much for the info... do merchants such as these usually only deliver in 'trailer full' amounts? And any idea how much that amount would cover and cost? Sorry to be a pain. ;D (just don't want to call up out of my depth)
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supersprout
Hectare
Posts: 4,660
mulch mad!
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #31 on:
December 12, 2006, 08:05:37 »
hi cc, if the bales are squarey you can stack them and they will be even better to put on when they have rotted down a bit (if a little less picuresque). I'd ask how many on a trailer - I don't think you'd go far wrong with 50 bales, if you made e.g. a compost bin, that could take 25 bales, and if you have somewhere to stack them. One bale will cover approx. 15-20m2 :)
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triffid
Hectare
Posts: 893
Escaped... usually to my plot in NW London :)
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
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Reply #32 on:
December 13, 2006, 14:12:33 »
... and once you've finished the compost bin, here's another project ;)
http://www.strawbalebuildingassociation.org.uk/g15.html
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Common_Clay
Acre
Posts: 387
Loved
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #33 on:
December 13, 2006, 23:14:48 »
Thanks supersprout, useful information.
Amazing pictures triffid - supersprout heaven! ;)
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kt.
Hectare
Posts: 4,805
Teesside
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #34 on:
December 13, 2006, 23:56:55 »
Aint never seen a lottie using so much straw! Is it not a pain in the ar*e when planting and sowing? Looks neat and tidy though. Hides all the work i guess.
OH says I hide all the pots and pans come washing up time.... ;)
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All you do and all you see is all your life will ever be
supersprout
Hectare
Posts: 4,660
mulch mad!
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #35 on:
December 14, 2006, 08:03:56 »
same principle! ;D ;D ;D
it's a swop - hardly any weeding, watering or digging - for the occasional scooch - I know which I prefer ;)
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norfolklass
Hectare
Posts: 1,036
Norwich - a fine city
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #36 on:
December 14, 2006, 16:30:51 »
this is possibly a very stupid question, but doesn't it all blow away in the first strong wind?!? it all looks so fluffy!
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supersprout
Hectare
Posts: 4,660
mulch mad!
Re: Asleep in the autumn sunshine
«
Reply #37 on:
December 14, 2006, 18:54:10 »
I know, I wondered about that too norfolklass - so far so good ::) ;D
best to do it when rain's expected if you want to be extra safe?
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