Topic: Guardian article on gardening myths

[caroline7758]

This ws in yesterday's magazine but was originally in Which? so some of you may have seen it before:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/08/old-wives-tales-gardens

Some surprising findings!

[betula]

Surprising indeed,Hope all those chucking urine on the compost read it.

Bit sad really all those snippets of info we hold dear are not true then,bet a few on here will disagree.

[Paulines7]

Very interesting.  Thank you Caroline for posting the link.

[pigeonseed]

Very interesting, thanks for posting!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I think they've got the balance right on piss. It will speed up the decay of dead leaves and the like, but not of a balanced pile. How often, however, do we really bother about balancing it? Unless it's all grass cuttings or other soft herbage, in which case it has too much nitrogen, a modicum of piss won't do any harm, even if it doesn't always speed the process.

[caroline7758]

I think you're right, robert- don't think i'd ever be so complacent as to say my compost was balanced! Equally, even if coffee grounds don't deter slugs, putting them down will be good for the soil.

[telboy]

You learn something every day innit?

Didn't see any harmful effects though??

Keep p*ssing I say.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It would probably make rotted-down grass cuttings even stodgier, but I can't think of anything else.

[Pescador]

Never did trust The Grauniad.
Fresh coffee grounds work for me, so I'll keep using them.

[jennym]

I had reasonable results in keeping slugs at bay by using a dilute solution of very cheap coffee on a small area, about 8 ft square. Couple of heaped teaspoonfuls to a gallon, watered about 3 or 4 times before sowing and a couple of times after. Think I read it on here, can't recall.

[tonybloke]

what a load of tosh!

to turn straw (95% carbon) into compost (30% carbon) will take loads of Nitrogen.

that's why 'wet' straw (from stables etc) will compost a darn site quicker than dry straw. go on, try it yourself

[BarriedaleNick]

I agree with Tony. 
The straw bale urinal is a wonderful thing...  Few bales of straw at the bottom of the garden - wee on it over winter and come spring - wonderful compost.

[pigeonseed]

ah but they were talking about normal mixed compost, not your fancy straw urinals.  ;D

[tonybloke]

most folk have too much wet, green material in their compost heaps, I add straw and seaweed to mine ;)

[pumkinlover]

I add cardboard and paper-soaked if dry, no ones mentioned lime yet- i sprinkle on regularly to counteract acidity!

[antipodes]

Actually, much as I enjoy reading the Guardian, I find most of what they say about gardening is a load of old twaddle. Obviously written by people who have never actually done any gardening. And that girl that does video articles (Alyssa, maybe her name is? Alysson?) I would like to see her do some really hard work in that plot, like, planting her onions, or digging spud trenches, she always seems to just be fafing around, with gloves on and a pair of secateurs.