Any arbtalking veg growers in da house?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Thanks for clearing that up chaps will get peat free!! Bought myself a veg book by dr hessayon today just to keep me on right track with veg, got a free book with it only had a brief look but looks good. Was at whs bookshop.

 

 

good man

 

its madness us arbs using compost really when we have so much chip to rot!

[Goaty]

I do use chip, I grade it with a sieve if needed, only problems are lack of nitrogen/ nitrogen robbery and its either wet or dry. If rotted on top as a mulch then dug it its not bad. Maybe round legumes or legumous green manures should help.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I do use chip, I grade it with a sieve if needed, only problems are lack of nitrogen/ nitrogen robbery and its either wet or dry. If rotted on top as a mulch then dug it its not bad. Maybe round legumes or legumous green manures should help.

 

when I studied all the lit i could find on the subject of mulch I learned the best was Cherry and hawthorn chip (research by Dr Glyn percival) and decided that mixing this with a third grass clippings or green manure using clover would produce a good balance:thumbup1:

 

If I was asked to mulch a tree for instance my preferred method would be cardboard then grass or green manure with hawthorn/cherry or the tree species it was applied to then a compost tea added periodically with a small dose of mollases:thumbup1:

[Goaty]

Yes I do sometimes do the grass cuttings mix, have to watch out for slimy lumps. When I get going in summer, I use ash from woodburner which I save, grass cuttings from neighbour and the sweepings up from firewood sawing, shavings and dust. I can with regular turning of compost make good stuff in 6 weeks. It rots to nothing.

I also see a looming pile of strawy horse manure from a neighbours kids pony. Maybe mushroom growing will be happening.Yes I do sometimes do the grass cuttings mix, have to watch out for slimy lumps. When I get going in summer, I use ash from woodburner which I save, grass cuttings from neighbour and the sweepings up from firewood sawing, shavings and dust. I can with regular turning of compost make good stuff in 6 weeks. It rots to nothing.

I also see a looming pile of strawy horse manure from a neighbours kids pony. Maybe mushroom growing will be happening.

[Gnarlyoak]

Ive been to garden centres recently, best deal for my conscience was new horizon 3 bags for £12

 

But even then William Sinclairs the producers have been alledgedly naughty extracting peat. No win whatever you do.

 

However on a garden scale we can be alot more responsible than many commercial growers even though we we would like to be better:thumbup1:

 

O and this stuff does have a whiff, it could be poultry manure maybe, which wont be from someone going around a meadow pooper scooping.

 

B&Q do a peat free compost, that has a strange musty smell, looking at its structure and noticing a few tiny bits of plastic, I get the impression the compost is made up from composted remains of the councils green bin collections.

 

But you do need to watch out for those special offers. B&Q were offering 3 x 50ltr bags for £12, but a single 125ltr bag cost only £5.98.

 

So with B&Q's offer I could of got 150ltrs for £12, or for the same price I could get 250ltrs with two of the bigger bags. So mind you don't get blinded so much by them "special offers" that you actually miss a real bargain.

 

And has anyone tried "re-mineralising" their soil by adding some volcano ash/dust? Again another product I have seen advertised in one of my seed catalogues, but B&Q also sell it in 20kg bags. If so did it actually make a difference or is it just another gimmick?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

And has anyone tried "re-mineralising" their soil by adding some volcano ash/dust? Again another product I have seen advertised in one of my seed catalogues, but B&Q also sell it in 20kg bags. If so did it actually make a difference or is it just another gimmick?

 

Ive seen a lot of references to this pumice/rockdust supplement and it all seems to add up. Would make sense as its a more readily avaliable mineral content, though its really only needed if there is deficiencies, over introduction of elements tip the other way so always worth checking out whether or not your soil or rather plants are deficient, not as complicated or expensie as you might think.

[Le Sanglier]

Holy-moly you guys can talk the fun out of anything! I put my seed potatoes in last weekend.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

and for those that was interested in the way i started my spuds off, the egg boxes proved inferior, got some lovely shoots and roots coming off the soiled ones and no shriveling on them either, seems far better for an early start.

 

my peas and cabbages are off to a flying start but desperatley want them out in the garden, the cold is doing my nut!

 

 

[Le Sanglier]

I'm joining this late Tony, why don't you just chit 'em like normal?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Holy-moly you guys can talk the fun out of anything! I put my seed potatoes in last weekend.

 

 

who rattled your cage?