Hi all,
I am very keen to start preparing my new plot for the coming season and have been reading in many books the need to manure areas for various crops. The problem I have is I haven't yet come across an actual amount to be used. I am guessing that this may vary with differing crops but is there a general rule of thumb that may help a newbie like me.
Thanks
Andy
One recommendation is a barrow to 10sq/yd. But not for carrots.
Quote from: tim on February 18, 2005, 20:08:24
One recommendation is a barrow to 10sq/yd. But not for carrots.
Wow I must have enough for two plots...the lumps on the left are barrow loads. 8)
(http://img111.exs.cx/img111/2271/muck34ks.jpg) (http://www.imageshack.us)
I think it depends on the condition of your soil to start with, poor soil would need more manure than soil in already good condition. I put roughly 1-2 bags per 4sq m (2m x 2m section), I'd say one bag is about half a barrow load. But my soil is in not too bad condition. Be careful you don't add too much for certain crops, like Tim says, carrots. I also believe if you add too much for strawberries you'll get lots of green leaves and little fruit. I guess the amount you use also depends what you plan to grow.
Lovely load - V jealous - but could it do with another year's rotting down? And mixing some in with the compost??
I will take your advice Tim as the general consensus is going that way, I'm just feeling a bit peeved that I have rushed to get my hands on this gold dust and have to leave it lying about for a year ??? >:( ::)
I've just watched "The Allotment" DVD which shows a guy using fresh horse manure for growing spuds in a no dig kinda way
Piece of cardboard straight on the unprepared ground, tip the fresh manure on, then a piece of black plastic or sheet mulch, then cut a hole for each spud and pop in the spud at the desired spacings.
I only impart this info based on the advice on the DVD and don't purport to have a clue what I'm talking about ;D
Yours in ignorance
Wardy ;)
Thanks everyone for info. Can I ask Jesseveve are the bags that you mentioned the manure that is availible at garden centres. I ask as this will most probably me my source this year.
Thanks Andy
Hi Andy, the bags of manure I refer to are horse manure from my local stables. They sell them already bagged up for 25p per bag but you have to collect yourself and often it needs time to rot down. But I have also used the bought stuff in the past and I used it in similar proportions as the manure from the stables. I bought it because my strawberries were ready for planting and I didn't have any well rotted manure at hand and didn't want to take the risk of scorching the new plants. As strawberries are permanent plants (they don't rotate each year) I needed to make sure the beds were well prepared as surface mulching is all that will happen now for the next few years. The area I needed to manure was also fairly small so not too costly. If you're looking to buy bought stuff have a look at www.ahsdirect.co.uk, they deliver and the prices drop if you buy in bulk, not sure if they're the cheapest around so do some research before you buy, it can become very costly if you're buying this way and planning to manure a large area i.e. your entire plot. Perhaps one of the "experts" on this forum can advise if it is possible to use fresh manure now providing it is well mixed with soil for planting later in spring. I was lucky to have manured in autumn last year so mine is all now well mixed and rotted down.
Jesseveve, your strawbs do need rotating every once in a while. There are some horrible diseases that your strawbs can get which linger in the ground. I shall search out and see what I can find.
laters....of course, I search high and low and can find nothing! I do remember this was talked about before. There are several viruses that strawbs suffer which build up in the soil, so you save your runners and move the bed around the plot. Someone will come along and fill us both in with info.
From manure to strawberries........
Crop rotation is essential, even for strawberries.
They tend to deteriorate after the third year of being in the same soil.
It is best to plant straws in a different spot every year, so you will alaways have 1, 2 and 3 year old plants. At the end of the season dig up he 3 years old and plant them in a new row, So rotate. Every year one row is the easiest way of rotation. Plant them not after potatoes (ev. verticulum wilt will destroy the straws) Strawberries can get very nasty diseases :'(
Professional straw growers in Netherlands getting controlled of strawberries rotation, so it must be important.
Oops, sorry if I wasn't very clear. What I meant is that they're semi permanent in the sense that the ones I planted in Autumn last year will be there for another two or three years (those particular plants won't rotate at the end of this summer) so I won't have an opportunity to dig in manure in their bed for a couple of years at least. I do plan to save the runners this year and start another bed (and do that same each subsequent year) elsewhere on the plot, especially now that I have oodles of space!
Hi all
very very new to all this but have been having a good read up on most bits and seem to have found many books taking of fertilising in the autumn and not to just before planting?? i have a couple of buckets of chicken fertiliser and am now a bit confused!? can i put it on or not ???
Drowned rat - depends what for. Most things could do with a bit of chicken manure (I assume it's the pelleted kind) a few weeks before planting. But roots crops (carrots and parsnips) should not be manured. If it's the pellets - you only need about 1 handful per square meter (or somethign like that - can't remember the instructions) not the same amount as horse manure!
If you fertilise in the autumn, rain washes out a lot of the neutrients.
Hi Drowned rat,
with Chicken manure i tend to scatter on preppared soil and then plant about a week later so as to give it a chance to work in to soil even hoe and water chick manure in. Or mix with soil as i plant young plants but I think you do have to be carful if you have plants showing above the soil as if pellets go on leaves or stem can burn so use a liquid fertiliser once plants are showing. Have a feeling Chicken manure can be used 10 months of the year if not all year round.
Drowned Rat, this is how I understand it but I'm sure someone else can give you a much more scientific and exact explanation.
Manure is dug in during autumn because it needs a while to break down before planting as fresh manure is very strong and can burn plants. Manure is used to improve the structure (and I think minerals) of your soil, it helps lighten heavy soil allowing more air into the soil and it helps keep light soil moist as the manure holds moisture in the soil. It also encourages organisms (like earthworms) into your soil which helps improve it. It fertilisers the soil but is easily washed away with rain so fertiliser is often needed as a top up to feed your plants later on.
Fertiliser is used for feeding your plants, it does little to improve the structure of your soil. I use fertiliser just before planting (about 2 weeks before I rake in Fish Blood and Bone meal) and during growing especially when plants like tomatoes start to fruit, the fertiliser gives the plant that extra boost to carry good yields. The chicken fertiliser you talk about I assume is the pelleted stuff which is a fertiliser and used in a similar way to the fish blood and bone meal I use.