Compost heaps-the ideal.

[sime42]

Catch 22 ......

[daveatdave]

i always found a old carpet on to better than plastic

[sime42]

3 minutes ago, peds said:

 

They're all at it, those Celts. 

 

There are remote islands up in the outermost Hebrides where it's literally the only significant quantity of organic material available, and I'd imagine they get more salt on the land after a single stormy day at sea than after a whole year of seaweed mulching.

 

Although, that could also explain the lack of other organic material available. 

 

So it seems. Though I don't recall ever seeing it used in Cornwall. The English must have beaten the habit out of them.

[peds]

6 minutes ago, scbk said:

I filled a barrel with seaweed to make liquid fertiliser this year, I did rinse it first to hopefully remove some salt, don't know how necessary that was.

 

I like to think that the near constant rain out here rinses enough salt off pre-harvest, while still on the beach. 

 

Steeping in a barrel is definitely the quickest and easiest way to get usable product, but have a look at the options for just rotting it down "dry", and collecting the liquid runoff... you get a thick, dark, treacly liquid that you then dilute to use. Works for comfrey, seaweed, nettle, whatever. Rocket fuel!

[peds]

6 minutes ago, daveatdave said:

i always found a old carpet on to better than plastic

 

That's certainly the traditional lid, and people have used it without complaint for generations. But here on the west coast of Ireland with this summer of rain, and last year the same, my pile would be soup, or so severely leached as to be worthless. Better to control the input of water if possible, I think. 

[peds]

7 minutes ago, sime42 said:

 

So it seems. Though I don't recall ever seeing it used in Cornwall. The English must have beaten the habit out of them.

Perfidious Albion at it again!

[Peasgood]

On 29/08/2024 at 23:01, sime42 said:

 

So it seems. Though I don't recall ever seeing it used in Cornwall. The English must have beaten the habit out of them.

 

 

 

There's another pic in the same place of a more modern tractor (Massey Ferguson) doing the same but damned if I can find it. edit: found it

My step gran had a small place on Trencrom, she used to go down to Hayle with the pony and cart for seaweed for fertiliser.

Edited August 31 by Peasgood

[Stere]

Carpet is really bad imo  as plastic bits everywhere as it breaks down

 

Unless its a 100% woolen one....but  hardly any are now....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 31 by Stere

[peds]

I was about to say, in the good old days carpets were 100% biodegradable, but it'd be rare to find one of those these days.

They've probably already all been composted. 

[sime42]

52 minutes ago, Peasgood said:

 

 

 

There's another pic in the same place of a more modern tractor (Massey Ferguson) doing the same but damned if I can find it. edit: found it

My step gran had a small place on Trencrom, she used to go down to Hayle with the pony and cart for seaweed for fertiliser.

 

That's answered that then. Great pictures, thanks.