Topic: What if I can't get manure?

[Moggle]

After all  my wondering about when to dig, I now have another wonder: What if I take on this plot and I can't get any rotted manure any time soon?

Would a green manure be enough to support hungry crops like cauli and other brassicas? Blood fish and bone? Pelleted chicken poo? I really don't want to have to shell out too much for anything.

Eventually I would have a compost heap, to give me something, but I expect it would take a while to have any useable compost.

Might be helpful to say what else I intend to grow? Carrots and parsnips, loads of potatoes, corn, courgettes, pumpkins, french beans.

[Sarah-b]

Hi Moggle,
Can't remember if your plot has been sitting idle for years or not. Sometimes plots that have been idle for a few years are actually quite fertile under the weeds.
In answer to your question, I'd say don't worry too much about it. If you can't get manure now, just use what you can  - green manure, chicken poo, or at the risk of being super contraversial - absolutely nothing. You could make up some nettle tea later to water the plants.
What you read in gardening books, and what is often recommended here is what to aim towards, but if you can't achieve that, you can just do what you can. That's what i do, and i enjoy it immensely. Yes, you usually get better results if you do things right, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth doing it unless you can do it right. There's a long continuum between disasterously wrong and absolutely perfect.
I would be surprised if you can't get hold of some fresh manure now, stack it up and then spread it around in april/may. And we cleared the ground, added manure, and sowed bean seeds all on the same day in June this year and got fab results.

Sorry for the rant...
Sarah-b

[derbex]

Squash and the like will grow in pretty much fresh muck, or compost. I grew my pumpkins on piles of more or less fresh, shavings based, manure and they've done ok. Courgettes were plonked into undug ground covered with cardboard and pooh to kill off the weeds and they've thrived. Beans likewise.

No dig spuds were less successfull, they grew ok but I didn't mulch them enough and quite a high proportion were green. Worse were the mice that decided to live in the mulch as it came with a free larder. You might not have such a problem on your plot, I'm on the edge of our site and all there is between me and the field is a hedge and a few feet of brambles & nettles.

Jeremy

[tim]

Agree - don't worry. We have hardly ever put manure on - cow is too weedy, horse too pricey. We rely mainly on compost.

Artificials? Blood, Fish & Bone? Yes, but in modest quantities at the right time!. We used Marshalls fert on pots for the first time this year & the things went crazy!!

Spend a few £s & do a soil check? = Tim

[Mrs Ava]

Took on our plot just over a year ago, and didn't get anything on it until somewhere down the line I managed to get some pelletted chicked poo going cheap cheap (not cockadoodaldoo) and lobbed that around a bit.  This year have lovely well rotted compost and lots of leaf mould.  I think I did okay this last year so I wouldn't worry.  

[Andy H]

Horse poo too expensive >:( >:( >:(

I have about 5 sources local for free, they are glad to get rid of the stuff.

Have you tried local stables? I went to first and said I can get loads free but want a nearer supply, can I help myself? YES PLEASE take what you want. :D

I have to collect but got a trailer which is getting used a LOT!

[Moggle]

Sarah, I'm really getting ahead of myself here, I haven't even seen the plot :-\ But the site secretary has told me it's been out of action for about 3 years.

Thanks everyone for your reassurances that all would be ok with not much or even nothing. Like I said, getting ahead of myself, but I'm a real advance planner, and I like to have a good think about these things and plan for all possibilities.

I probably will be able to get manure, although I doubt that hubby will want it going in the boot of nice car. Site secretary also said something about it being a 'long way with a barrow' when I mentioned manure on the phone, so I'm thinking access might be a bit of a problem. I guess I was also worried about fresh stuff and how long it would take to rot down. Good to know some plants like it fresh - thanks Derbex.

Hope to get compost bin sorted out once I get started, but haven't even taken the plot yet. I'm really taking advance planning to new levels aren't I? Hoping to see it this weekend though.

I keep eyeing up fallen leaves too, once everything is signed and sealed, I will go collecting with bin bags :)

[Sarah-b]

Saw that you have now got your plot - good luck with it and let us know how the digging goes!

Sarah

[Moggle]

Thanks Sarah, I am really excited and you will probably see too many details about what I am up to. Must remember to take a 'before' photo though.