Using potting compost on allotment - worth it?

[shaolin101]

Hia ll,

Just wondered if it would be beneficial at all to use the standard bags of compost/grow bag type stuff over an allotment or in a few raised beds.

If it wouldn't add anything i will not bother but as it fairly cheap i would chuck a bacg in each small raised bed if people thought it worthwhile.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Liam

[shaolin101]

[Barnowl]

They say the nutrition in multi-compost is usually enough for 4-6 weeks - growbags for longer. Don't know how that compares to manure / composted manure and presumably a bed isn't planted quite as densely as a pot or container.

[Baaaaaaaa]

I wouldn't consider standard bags of compost/grow bags cheap, and consequentially not worth putting on a lottie.

However, it does depend on what your growing. If its something special and worth the extra cost, then it might be worth it. But just for the everyday stuff, no.

I would suggest its better to add leaves and wood chips to improve the soil and then add a suitable feed for whatever your growing, as it needs it.

[shaolin101]

I only mean the small bags i have seen in B&Q - they go for about a pound when i have been in there before - but then my allotment is small so of course more land would cost more.

i was thinking more in raised beds - they are only 1m square and one of my kids wants to grow tomatoes in his one - thats what promted the question really. If they can grow in grow bags, would i be best to empty a grow bag into the bed?

[kenkew]

Tommy's and grow bags...good match. Snag with spreading the bag contents on the ground is that you'll loose a lot of the goodness as it filters and gets washed into the ground, also you won't have the depth of a bag if you spread it. There is a way this one if you want to use the bags on the lotty; Dig 2 holes per bag the width size and 1/2 depth of the bag. Cut the bag in half and lower into the hole. Make sure you have drain holes in the bag's base. Plant tomm's one to each half bag. You'll keep the goodness of the bag where it needs to be and you'll have more than enough depth for the roots. When you're finished growing, lift the whole thing out an spread it around.

[Tee Gee]

Sounds as if you have lots of brass  ;D

Seriously though; I am guessing you are not happy with the soil in your raised beds in my opinion don't waste your money on spreading compost around

If you can get up to a riding stable and get some horse droppings and dig those in. I would do this asap so that it has a chance to go to work before planting out time.

Then when you come to plant out your tomatoes dig a slightly larger hole than required say around 12" diam, and fill this with your compost to get your plants of to a good start.

In case you don't know tomatoes have two types of roots i.e. the top roots are feeding roots and the bottom ones water seeking roots.

By following my suggestion above the water roots will seek out the moisture in the horse droppings and the top roots will seek out the nutrients in the compost.

Then all you need to do is ensure the beds are kept well watered and the plants are fed with a tomato fertiliser once a week after flower set, not before as again this is a waste.

I hope that makes sense!

By the way if the beds are one metre square plant out one plant in each corner say 6" inches or so from the edge of the bed giving you sufficient space for four plants and this should be fine

[Baaaaaaaa]

Whether to add compost to the existing soil depends on what your starting off with, and what was growing in it before.

If space is short, intensive growing may be necessary, in which case a good growing medium is required.

For tomatoes, peppers, cuecumbers, strawberries ...  whether to grow in the ground or in a bag/pot is dependant upon space/environment/frequency of visits/ personal choice.

Growing veg in pots/bags (ie standard grow bag turned on end to provide deep rooting) requires more watering/monitoring in case they flood/dry out. Root space is limited to the pot/bag, but you have complete control of the growing medium, & feeding is more direct/precise. Pots/bags are easier to keep weed and pest free.

Yes, home grown tomatoes do taste better, but the shops are improving. Whats the cost of the compost/feed/time it takes to grow 3 - 6 Kg of toms per plant against the shop price (although toms were still costing £1.25 Kg in high summer this year which is winter prices. High summer should be half that). Ie - don't spend a fortune on growing your own - it ain't worth it.

My message to you is either grow cheaply (ie dont buy any compost), or grow special variety veg, the stuff you don't get in shops.

But, that's just my opinion - others may vary.

[shaolin101]

Thanks for the tips,

There is a stables just down the road actually - free manure, bring your own bag.

It might be fresh though - would that matter?

If it was just me i wouldn't be so fussed but my boy is only 3 years old and very excited/enthusiastic so i want to do whatever i can to help him get something growing that he can eat.

The cut growbag seems like a good idea too - might have to give that a try!

[Baaaaaaaa]

There is a stables just down the road actually - free manure, bring your own bag.

Get down there, double quick and take as many bags with you as you can find !!

What you don't use this year, stack in a corner, or behind the shed. It'll be perfect by next year.

For this year, get it and dig in NOW. By the time you plant it'll be just fine.

[Tee Gee]

It might be fresh though - would that matter?

Not if you pick the right stuff.

As you are picking it yourself be selective in what you pick, e.g. pick the droppings not the straw.

It is the straw that takes time to rot down, the droppings have already been processed  ;)

As has been said save the surplus including the strawy bits till next year.

[Old bird]

Hi Shaolin

Yes you do need to check if the manure is too fresh!  If it hasn't properly rotted down it can cause trouble with your plants and the weed seeds won't have been knocked sideways!!

My general rule for checking if manure is ready is if you dig down to the bottom of the heap - the manure should be dark and you shouldn't find any worms.  Where the worms start in height is where the manure hasn't finished rotting down.  They work their way upwards (the worms! where you would find that the composting process keeps the manure warmer!

Certainly keep some in readiness for next year but probably best not to use on the plot until fully rotted down.

I wouldn't  consider putting shop bought compost on the beds unless they were giving it away for free! I would only use it then for soil improvement and mix it in with normal soil and manure/ccompost. If you feel the consistency of the bought compost and normal soil - then think that your lovely plants are going to make their root system through the soil which should be holding together  - rather than the bought compost which will be crumbly but certainly doesn't hold together.

Part of the battle with gardening is getting the structure of the soil right.

Hope my comments may be useful!

Old Bird

:D

[bupster]

I got a big pile of free compost - so far have just spread it on top of beds. Should I be doing something else?

[star]

Ive just emptied 2 tyre towers of compost onto my raised beds. Next week I shall get well rotted manure on top of that.
Compost is fine in pots, but it has no substance really. What I mean by that is I dont want to plant directly into plain compost as I think its too light to hold roots securely. And as it was used last year the goodness has gone out of it.

[Hyacinth]

I've garden plots & over the years I've improved the soil. Every year, tho, when I sow directly into it, I use potting compost. I make a drill by using
a handy length of wood I keep for this, then fill the drill with fresh compost. Water, let it drain. Sow seeds onto damp soil then cover with fresh compost.

Can't see the point in spreading compost where I'm not putting seeds.

[Weed-Digga]

We have made our lottie into a series of raised beds. As our soil is cold, wet clay, we have added bags of bought compost, homemade compost, grass clippings, sharp sand and horse manure (along with the existing soil)to each bed. When it is all mixed together it has made a lovely 'loamy' texture. The real test will be next year when we see how well things grow I suppose!!

Weed-Digga

[GrannieAnnie]

Shaolin, Have you ever seen the pole bean tee-pees? Kids seem to love growing those- the vines grow fast and children have a place to hide while parents weed.

[Jeannine]

Most of my raised beds are a picture of commercial compost and sand, it was very expensive to do it and I have to water regularly, but it does grow good stuff, I manure on the top each year now then work it in later.

From a cost point of view it is a lot of money but there was nowhere near me that I could get good top soil from to fill my 1 foot high beds so I have little choice.

I doubt that putting a little bit on the top would make much difference.

XX Jeannine

[Weed-Digga]

Depending on what your paths are going to be made of, you normally take off the top inch or 2 if you are laying weed suppressant fabric and bark chippings. you can add that to the beds.