Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi Sally,
Remember that the nutrition in a growbag is finite as the plants have only the nutrition provided in the bag and the roots have no chance of searching out any nutrition on their own. An occaisional feeding with something like Chempak formula 8 will assist them no end. Chempak 8 is a high 'P' formula and will give good flowering qualities. It is not only the use of liquid feeds that is good but it is the ratios of how the NPK are in relation to each other that is important. Chempak 8 is composed of a 12.5:25:25 formula. This does not deny the plant anything but gives twice as much of the 'P'and 'K' as the 'N' which is what the plants need.
For those not averse to artificial feeding the occaisional feed to Beans in the row would not do any harm and may well improve the rooting and flowering qualities. Remember no Flowers no Beans!

Well it worked here for others last year, so watch this space about July/ August....

Have a good day, its hot here now 19c

Compo

thanks for the tip, Johnboy. i'll definitely get some Chempak.

cheers,

sally

It's good to see someone else finding the Chemak range useful, bearing in mind that being totally soluble one has to feed regularly. Sue Phillips has recommended a weaker strength at every watering rather than once a week, there may be some sense in that.
Johnboy, a slip of the keys there. No.8 is correct but it's 12.5-25-25 which is fine but you were quoting the balance for No.4 which at 15-15-30 obviously is "high potash for flower and fruit" e.g my tomatoes
Allan

Hi Allan,
It was a slip on my behalf you are so correct but I regret to tell you that you have made an error of not quite the same order Chemapak 4 is 15:15:30
I am about to amend mine.

Score 1 all.

I thought when I posted my reply to Compo it was loaded. [I wasn't wrong]

There's many ways to plant and look after veg, you only have to look at the back issues of KG. The thing is, if it works for you thats fine. If your having problems and you ask for advice, expect many different answers, then decide which answer best suits you.

I plant maybe 15 or 20 kinds of bean, runner and climbing french. I never put my beans in the same place, I never feed them, and I mulch heavily with straw. I have an irrigation system for my spuds toms and beans.

I decided 18 years ago when I started growing veg that my soil was the most important part of my veg plot, and my compost bin was a close second.

So for me it's, feed the soil not the plant.

Hello,

When you see the first person returning from Boston Mayfair.. then it is said to be ok to set bean seed straight to the ground....E. Lincs ref'

I did see a fair truck the other day but summise it was heading TO not FROM..??!!...so have chanced my arm a little by putting some seeds in at a couple of wigwams...

Muck or compost dug in during Winter dig...growmore application worked in at seed setting...

A secondary setting at a couple more wigwams will be made..perhaps in a couple of weeks..and if the first set fail they can follow on again with a fresh set...

might win, might not...all the fun of the fair

All the best,
Clive.