Hi Runner Bean, I have had this occasionally and don't know why it happens. I usually find they don't like much heat so don't use my prop bench just germinate them in the cold greenhouse. I always think it's worth doing an autumn sowing even if it fails because if they grow then I find I have broad ...

Hi NB I followed your link about greening the desert - brilliant but they certainly used a huge amount of compost. I am now mulching my beds with rotted straw on top of the compost and that is full of worms. I am hoping to stay with the no dig at least for the next few years and see what happens. I ...

Hi Sue, A no-dig system operates by the use of mulches but relies heavily on a moist system to work properly. By mulching you are helping to conserve moisture in the system which assists the worms to interact with the mulch taking particles into the soil. It works quite well on the heavier soils bu...

Hi LindaJane, By pursuing a no-dig policy on light soil you are never actually going to improve your soil. The whole idea of digging light soils, adding as much composted material into the soil, will allow your crops to have moisture at the roots at all times. With compost in the soil it will retai...

I did Charles Dowding's one day no dig course last January. I had already started to apply this in the previous autumn on my light well drained soil. I have since heard people say that it is impossible to use no dig methods on light soil. Well I certainly have had very good results this year and won...

I've just read the article on rock dust in latest issue of KG. What are people's thoughts on this and has anyone tried it? I have been rather sceptical about this but the article was getting me all enthusiastic (as I envisaged huge and bountiful crops next year) and then Edward said why didn't I add...

Just wanted to say that as a newcomer to the forum I am enjoying all your comments. I have been a reader of KG magazine for years but hadn't got round to the forum. However, having been grounded recently due to some virus which has zapped all my energy I have not been able to finish sorting out the ...

peter wrote:See the sticky thread on the Weeds Pests & diseases area.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7863

Thank you Peter. The advice on the forum is brilliant and glallotments is doing a fantastic job with this huge and very worrying problem.

Dear LindaJane, a warm welcome to the forum. Thanks to our lovely forum member, glallotments, who has worked tirelessly to report to the authorities and any other parties that might take an interest, there is probably more infomation on this subject, on this forum then anywhere else. It is also wri...

Hi, does anyone have any experience of rotting down contaminated manure in their compost heap and then subsequently using this on their veg plot? Or any other suggestions of how to deal with the contaminated manure heap once you have it.