I may have struck gold.

[Ricard with an H]

I know very few people who could share my excitement at finding what I found in the old cow sheds.

Most of the sticky muck has been removed years ago and I have a couple of JCB buckets full dumped in a convenient spot for my use, its still quite strong so I turn it into a slurry and water it in. Oh-yes, it works nicely.

The stuff in the photo however is different it has the feel of a crumble type soil , even the feel of a peat-compost. It came from the walk-ways in the barns and poo has been mixed with leaves and soil then continually trodden in by the dairy cows that used the old barns years ago.

Its so soft and lovely i'm tempted to use it as potting compost though I need to test it first, at the very least I'll use it as a mulch.

Its so lovely, it isn't grey like in the photo, its actually black.

[Primrose]

Lucky you ! I'm sure your crops will love it but as you say I suspect it may be too rich to be used on its own as a seed or potting compost. It would probably be the equivalent of giving a baby a triple Gin and Tonic! But I'm sure it will be fine for digging in, or as a mulch.

Where did you say you lived? I must drive by one dark night with my empty builders bag and help myself!

[Ricard with an H]

When I first joined this forum I learned from you about the possibilities of AP contamination so I did a test plant in a pot. The few barrows full I have so far recovered have gone onto my comfrey patch. Comfrey is reputed to take very strong stuff and I did confirm this last year.

Having all this muck available and a strong comfrey patch means I have all I need in the way of nutrients for my raised beds. I even have straw in the barns to place under my strawberries, this will be my first year for strawberries and I'm looking for a spot to place some blackberry canes. I only bought two blackberry canes and I'm now wondering if I should have bought more.

As soon as I've breakfasted I'll be barrowing more of that black gold into my raised beds.

[Primrose]

My own experience of blackberries is that once they get established they can fruit very prolifically so I suspect two may be adequate unless you're taking today today's new scientific advice that you should eat TEN portions of fruit a day instead mod five, They do freeze very well and can also be turned into syrup if storage space is short. . I presume you have bought the thornless varieties. I'm sure they will get going quite quickly with some of your black gold dug in. One of my 3 blackberries is planted in a very stoney unpromising position yet still provides an embarrassment of riches every summer.

[FelixLeiter]

I only bought two blackberry canes and I'm now wondering if I should have bought more.

Blackberries are very easy to propagate by anchoring the tip of a growing shoot to the ground. If you find you don't have sufficient canes planted, you can always increase them by this method later. My money's on two being quite enough, though.

[Westi]

Hi Richard

I've only got 2 (well originally, lots of thick stems on each now). I got loads in my first year & now inundated that they are established - I use loads, fresh, pies, jam & frozen! Still got a couple of bags in the freezer still from last year.

Enjoy!

Westi

[Ricard with an H]

Oh-you-lot.

Always encouraging me though I thank you for it, on the basis of these comments I found a sunny spot but its at the top of a bank so well-drained. Somewhere I read blackberries like moisture retentive soil.

Honestly, how can any mortal make head-nor-tail of the difference between, "Moisture-retentive" or "Moisture-retentive but well-drained. I regularly pick wild bramble-berries during late summer so I know they like a lot of sun to get fat-and juicy but I'm not risking planting in any soggy ground.

I'll bung a lot of of poo into the bottom of the trench I'll about to did then plant the six plants.

Sorry, you were too late but they were good value at £3 each potted-cane with nice looking spouts so I blew my weekend fun-fund. The strawberries were £3 for six plants so I have two eight foot rows under cloches. Some black gold will be raked under those tomorrow, then some straw. All from the barns.