Early Winter bits & bobs?

[Shallot Man]

Ricard with a H. Should you have a few barrow-loads to spare and are down my way [Essex] please fill free to put it on my plot. There's a pint in it for you.

[Ricard with an H]

Ricard with a H. Should you have a few barrow-loads to spare and are down my way [Essex] please fill free to put it on my plot. There's a pint in it for you.

It's Richard, I couldn't register with that so it became, 'Richard' with the H removed.

You would be welcome, there is a pile 6 metres round by about two metres high in the barn, at the top of the field there is a massive pile that was matured ten years ago when I first dug a fork in but the wheel-barrow journey over 200metres of grass is very hard work.

On top of that I have a pal with three horses keeps offering me muck but I have to pick it up with a trailer, that and the digging/shovelling work might be a bit too much for me so I have never used horse muck yet.

Rather than for the nutrient i'm first after loosening my soil, I think it was Alan who showed concern at the possibility of me using to much muck but i'm digging a lot of sand into the soil also.

[Westi]

So jealous .. have to pay £30 for enough for a few beds - have some delivered to lottie but is full of wood shavings want rich & straw not shavings!

Use it & after you've delivered to OH come further south

Westi

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Westi, didn't realize i was getting some too....

[Shallot Man]

Ricard with an H. I came all over funny thinking of all that manure laying there. And me not being able to get to it.

[Ricard with an H]

Earlier this year when I went all hysterical about the possibility of muck contamination I bought some Clover farmyard manure, it appears to be blended with peat.

Very easy to dig-in but added to the considerable expense this year of setting up the raised beds.

I used the Clover manure in a mound-bed I prepared for comfrey, the comfrey has been very happy in that ground after a shaky start in some peat-free compost.

Whilst on that subject, I found it convenient to pick-up some compost from Wicks in Haverfordwest, dreadful stuff compared to Clover peat compost. Half my wildflower sowing went into Clover and half into Wicks own brand. The plants in the Wicks compost are much smaller. Both composts were given a treatment of fish-blood-bone pre-mixed. I think the Wicks stuff has some woody material in it.

[Monika]

We pay £50 for a trailer load full of cow manure, delivered to the allotments. Unfortunately, the sloping field is still too wet for the farmer to risk driving down, but at least it will be rotting down nicely where it is lying and he will bring it when the ground is hard with frost.

Rather unpleasant here to today: damp and only 6 degrees.

[Shallot Man]

Monika. Rather than the farmer wait for your ground to dry. He could drop it down to my plot in Essex. Tea and a bacon sarnie thrown in.

[Ricard with an H]

I had another four barrow-loads today, took me four hours including sit-down breaks. It's only a return-journey of 200 metres (At a guess) but I have to push uphill when the barrow is full. Also, I have to open and close gates because cattle are in an adjacent field.

If I had the back-and-legs for it there are sheep grazing all around me, local growers say sheep poo is better. No one goes into any detail about how they know and anyone who has horses swears by horse-muck.

Do any of you know of a compared analysis ?

[alan refail]

RicHard

Have a look at this

http://www.allotment.org.uk/grow-your-o ... of-manures

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks Alan, bless-you.

Very helpful and very interesting. Yesterday I was listening to radio 2, they had an allotment in the valleys gardener sharing his day. One interest was he puts boards down over his beds during winter to keep his worms warm-and-working.

He didn't mention moles, I have a lot of moles.

[Monika]

I'll tell him, shallotman, but it might take a few days before he gets there on his tractor!

[robo]

ive only just been allocated a plot after a Wait of 5 years the last 7 weeks we have been trying to turn it from a tip into something resembling a plot, i guess we are lucky in as much as a local horse stable delivers all we want free of charge, we have had 5 wagon loads of manure dropped off in the last 6 weeks all horse muck and straw

[Ricard with an H]

Hi robo.

Welcome, my back feels sore after reading about your new project and whilst I wouldn't describe my plot as wild or neglected the Pembrokeshire stony ground has history. Six months from starting fresh and as a beginner i'm still working on my soil though I have had some growing successes thanks to this helpful and friendly crowd.

Presumably the horse-muck like any fresh muck has to be dug-in and left over winter and by the look of that chart on the link that Alan sent anyone could concoct the perfect mix if you had all the available muck around you. Also presumably, it's not easy to test for balance or preferences.

[vegpatchmum]

Welcome to the boards Robo and good luck with getting your plot ready for planting.

Richard sweetie - just think how grateful your dog will be next year when all your hard graft results in loads of juicy carrots for her to munch on

VPM
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