In another magazine the organic 'expert' recommends that two barrow loads full of home made compost should be used per square metre per year in order to keep up the fertility of the soil. I feel this to be grossly over the top and wonder what members of this forum think.
NB. This means that the normal allotment would require nearing 400 barrow loads full every year!
JB.
What say you!
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alan refail
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Johnboy
I'm wondering if the "expert" is as thick as his compost will be!
For many years now HDRA's advice has been:
Apply no more than one wheelbarrow full of well-rotted strawy manure, or two of compost per 10 square metres of ground per year
That seems about right to me, if we're talking builder's barrow as a unit. I tend to use a bit more in the polytunnel, but mainly because the ground has to work harder.
Alan
I'm wondering if the "expert" is as thick as his compost will be!
For many years now HDRA's advice has been:
Apply no more than one wheelbarrow full of well-rotted strawy manure, or two of compost per 10 square metres of ground per year
That seems about right to me, if we're talking builder's barrow as a unit. I tend to use a bit more in the polytunnel, but mainly because the ground has to work harder.
Alan
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Elderflower
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Crikey - I compost everything I can - at home and plot - but I`d be seriously short of compost if I followed these guidelines!
Where would it all come from?
Where would it all come from?
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Geoff
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No wonder there is a shortage of scaffold boards for raised beds, you'd need ladders as well. I have 10' wide beds and use one barrow load of compost for two trenches which I guess is about 20 sqfeet or 2 sqmetres.
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Primrose
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It's impractical isn't it? We have been in our current house for 30 years from newbuild. And gradually over that time, because of my annual composting/manuring the height of the borders and vegetable patch have grown above the height of the lawn. And the increased soil height is causing the bottom of our fences to rot, so I've had to put plastic guards against them to help preserve the wood. Short of digging out a lot of the subsoil and putting it in a skip to be removed, I can't think of a way of solving the problem, unless I sieve it all and scatter over the lawn to increase the height of it.
Hi Primrose,
As you describe your problem this is how 'raised beds' are suppose to evolve. It is through your good husbandry that this has occurred. I have some contained beds and they have risen over 6" since they were made and I have distributed surplus soil onto the beds not contained and renewed the timber surrounding the contained beds at 4". The land here has been worked for nearing 300 years and is in superb fettle.
Somehow the idea of raised beds got out of hand and it seems that the modern idea is to build these beds of imported soil and it is supposed to be wonderful.
Personally I feel that it is a great mistake and that nothing is gained by raising a bed to the modern heights without building up the fertility as they rise. To me it is a lot of hard labour and expense when the money and energy would be better used elsewhere.
I feel that slates may help you out of your problem if you can get hold of them. I suspect that in Buckinghamshire they may not be all that available.
JB.
As you describe your problem this is how 'raised beds' are suppose to evolve. It is through your good husbandry that this has occurred. I have some contained beds and they have risen over 6" since they were made and I have distributed surplus soil onto the beds not contained and renewed the timber surrounding the contained beds at 4". The land here has been worked for nearing 300 years and is in superb fettle.
Somehow the idea of raised beds got out of hand and it seems that the modern idea is to build these beds of imported soil and it is supposed to be wonderful.
Personally I feel that it is a great mistake and that nothing is gained by raising a bed to the modern heights without building up the fertility as they rise. To me it is a lot of hard labour and expense when the money and energy would be better used elsewhere.
I feel that slates may help you out of your problem if you can get hold of them. I suspect that in Buckinghamshire they may not be all that available.
JB.
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Primrose
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Johnboy. Thanks for your comments and also the suggestion about slates to protect the base of our fences. This is a good idea which I hadn't thought of. However, as you say, slates are not freely available around here but when I need to renew what's there at the moment I'll start looking around old building sites for some.
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Cider Boys
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Nothing surprises me when the advice is from an Organic Expert!
Barney
Barney
Hi Barney,
The 'Expert' in question is a young lady and she also recommends using old Baked Bean tins and Treacle tins and the likes to use as flower pots to raise young plants.
Quite frankly I have never read such a load of drivel in all my life.
This is what happens when a national, but small, farming magazine goes 'Organically Twee' and the person writing the gardening section is no gardener at all. This person obviously totally lacks practical experience and really should not be wrting such articles .
I have endured this for 4 months and I have decided that I shall not take the magazine any more because what used to be a joy to read is now a load organic nonesense. It is such a shame because there are some very good writers on organics and although I may not fully agree with what they write at least their writings are based on common sense.
JB.
The 'Expert' in question is a young lady and she also recommends using old Baked Bean tins and Treacle tins and the likes to use as flower pots to raise young plants.
Quite frankly I have never read such a load of drivel in all my life.
This is what happens when a national, but small, farming magazine goes 'Organically Twee' and the person writing the gardening section is no gardener at all. This person obviously totally lacks practical experience and really should not be wrting such articles .
I have endured this for 4 months and I have decided that I shall not take the magazine any more because what used to be a joy to read is now a load organic nonesense. It is such a shame because there are some very good writers on organics and although I may not fully agree with what they write at least their writings are based on common sense.
JB.