I missed the announcement at our site that manure could be acquired, so unless I can rectify that this weekend, I may find myswelf without manure this winter. Is it really essential? It has been heavily manured the last 2 years, and the soil is actually good to look at - plenty of beasties, it's crumbly and drains well, and is a pleasing colour. weeds grow like mad!
If I can't get manure, will I get away with just a bit of compost and a few fertilizer pellets (organic)?
It wont make much difference as your ground is usually fed in one way or another. We have a lot of older plotholders who are less able and too old to be shovelling manure so they are using 6x. The bag is the same size as a bag of compost that will feed and supply an entire plot for a year at least. It saves shovelling loads of manure when you can just sprinkle a little where you want it. Plus it can be stored in the lottie shed.
http://www.6-x.co.uk/
I use some stuff that I get from the garden centre, I think the mineral ratio is like NPK 5-3-8 and it's made out of seaweed, some kind of bird poo and not really sure what else! I usually just sprinkle a handful on before raking and planting a row of anything, and I was thinking I could get an extra box and sprinkle a bit more before planting and after flowering?
I have not had manure on for a few years, I have been using Groworganic
http://www.interhort.com/products/tr_104016_groworganic_manure_40ltr.php
and i get good results. Although its says that no other fertilizer is needed i still put a circle of Fish Blood and Bone around the stem of the veg plants.
About one Potnoodle cup is more than enough per square yard. But no matter which you use you will need to put it on a couple of weeks before and racked in before planting as it is strong stuff so it can burn the roots of the plants.
I`ve been gardening since I was 11yrs old so that's 57 yrs. Only once have I used manure and I got caught out with getting that nasty weed killer that affected thousands of plots. So I`m back to what I normally use good old fashioned compost made from kitchen waste, Bracken, and mountains of leaves. I used to mix it in with a handfull of growmore but now I use chicken pellets as I have gone organic. My new heap when finished will hold about 3 ton but even that is`nt enough,
I have gone off manure since being caught by weedkiller. Before that only used it once 27 years ago when my garden was new. Use compost, green manure, leaves. But agree there is never enough compost.
Now I also use lots of straw, grass clippings, recycled compost and chicken pellets as well. I get very frustrated by cardboard/paper covered in a very thin layer of plastic. I am a terrible compost maker (too much green) but luckily the plants do not seem to mind a slimey smelly mess. I also use blood fish and bone and nettle/comfrey teas.
There are lots of leaves around at the moment and I try and take a couple of buckets full everytime I go to lottie.
I have only used manure a couple of times and it was such hard work bagging it up and collecting it and it didn't seem to go far. I buy pelleted chicken manure (Rooster or Westland) which is usually on a "BOGOF" deal at some point in the season and is much easier to use.
I never use manure but follow `no=dig` and just use hm compost plus comfrey bocking 14 from my own comfrey bed. I use some leaves in the compost heaps and add leaves to various plots. I also make and use comfrey liquid. I must say that I have masses of beautiful and healthy veg and can compare with my neighbours, who all use manure. None of them has such a good productive plot
my compost is never slimey but I don`t use grass cuttings and I do use about 1/3 shredded cardboard
Quote from: strawberry1 on October 19, 2012, 08:25:33
I never use manure but follow `no=dig` and just use hm compost plus comfrey bocking 14 from my own comfrey bed. I use some leaves in the compost heaps and add leaves to various plots. I also make and use comfrey liquid. I must say that I have masses of beautiful and healthy veg and can compare with my neighbours, who all use manure. None of them has such a good productive plot
my compost is never slimey but I don`t use grass cuttings and I do use about 1/3 shredded cardboard
Can you tell me when and where you use the comfrey juice at this time of the year? I have a dustbin full at the moment. Can I put it on bare ground like I would manure? I have Winter onions and brassica growing. Should I use it on them. The only information I can find says to use when crops are flowering.
Ah well, maybe it's not so bad after all! I DO tend to leave as much on the lot as possible and dig back in a lot of rotted plant matter - Weeds I tend to bag up and rot or let rot in heaps and then dig the heap back in when it's completely rotten. Plants like beans I dig back in once they have died off. I try to do no-dig where possible.
I will see if I can get some waste from the pony club again (always good for mulch) and remember the tip about the pellets (dig in well before planting).
Thanks
Bunp.
I stopped using comfrey juice a few weeks ago but if you need to empty then run it over your compost heap perhaps. My last comfrey cut was two weeks ago and that went on the compost bins and my butt was emptied, ready for pure rain. I dangle a bag in the butt all year but want pure rain for watering seeds early spring as the water is turned off from sept to april. I got 4 good cuts this year and even left flowers for the bees. Flowers are good with bocking 14 as it doesn`t produce seeds
We will be mild for another 8 days so perhaps water your brassicas if they need picking up
Thanks for your reply. I will put it in the dialeks. My comfrey plants B14 are in flower so will have another cut soon.
Is there any harm in keeping comfrey liquid over winter?
I don`t think there would be any harm but I don`t want comfrey water for seedlings or for watering seeds in early spring
I cut Comfrey 4 times a season and I place the leaves in a bin with a small hole in to bottom. I have a little bucket underneath to collect the juice which I bottle up in 4 pint milk containers. I have 3 gallons of the stinky stuff ready for next year. The spent Comfrey leave are put in the compost heap. I use 1 cap of Comfrey juice to 2 gallons can before feedding the plants Its better than Miracle Grow anyday
Quote from: powerspade on October 22, 2012, 07:30:23
I use 1 cap of Comfrey juice to 2 gallons can before feedding the plants Its better than Miracle Grow anyday
When you say 1 cap, do you mean one of those milk bottle tops?
I don't actually grow comfrey.... maybe I should?
When I said capful I mean a cap used off the 4 pint milk carton