Kitchen Garden Forum

What I started doing last year with great success is this , when planting seeds in the ground I had a lot of failures whether it was due to the type of soil I have (heavy clay) I don't know but what I did was after preparing the soil for planting and putting the seeds in the drills I backfill with potting compost this not only marks were I've planted plainly but the germination rate was far more than backfilling with soil

I've given up on leeks completely. They always get leek moth. last year's looked fabulous, huge & healthy, in a raised bed. However, when it came to harvest time, the moths had had a field day, and about 90% were useless, full of orange mines and little grubs. Our neighbours plot never get leek moth?????

Ok, I know, I've been blowing hot and cold in the last six months. I would like to reiterate a previous reiteration about how good it is for me to inhale all the information and help I get, and you-lot get from others one this forum. Hopefully I breath-out occasionally and enough to be part of it.

I love the failures, makes me more comfortable in the face of my failures.

You don't do a bad job Richard, i think we all go through can i be bothered, or even can i get the energy, to do that job, now and again.

Prepped the tattie bed and added fish, blood and bone, tatties will go in at the weekend, local farmers are just planting their main crops.

"Tatties" You make smile.

Did I tell you I'm an honorary Scot ? Whenever I get freedom from my chores I head north including the outer islands and have a connection with the pipes so deep that I cry when I hear pipes.

I too cry when hearing the pipes, I've been known to run quite fast too, my only connection to Scotland(apart from living here)is my son in law and 2 of my grandsons are Scots.

If you cry and run, then I cry for different reasons. It's the lament that gets me.

I was once camped on the coast at the far end of Mull when a young girl started playing the pipes sitting on an outcrop of rock, a lot of people on the site were complaining about the dreadful racket but I'm overwhelmed with emotion and donning my war-bonnet.

I probably have Gaelic relatives.

Back to gardening though, it's the annual weed clearance along with the 'gone-to-seed' growth clearance of four raised beds plus some domestic borders around the barn that has become such hard work for me recently. I'm sure that keeping active rather than sitting and complaining is better for me, I am much slower this year because of orthopaedic problems. I still have two beds of kale I didn't eat to get rid of and those stalks need shredding they are so tough.

I just uprooted one of the two parsley plants, wow, I didn't realize they have such huge roots.

I spent yesterday spreading manure on two raised beds, around thirty gallons of chicken muck there are times I am glad I have no sense of smell

I smiled at that Robo. I remember years ago I spread a large amount of chicken manure I'd been given around my vegetable patch and borders on a hot summer's day. Eating al fresco was impossible for several days and I didn't exactly endear myself to my next door neighbours either. Definitely an activity to be done when the weather encourages people to stay indoors!

Is it not a bit late for spreading fresh chicken dung, won't it scorch roots?

tigerburnie wrote:Is it not a bit late for spreading fresh chicken dung, won't it scorch roots?

I was told by a chicken producer some years ago. That as chicken manure is so strong, it should be on the compost heap for at least a year to play safe.

Shallot Man wrote:I was told by a chicken producer some years ago. That as chicken manure is so strong, it should be on the compost heap for at least a year to play safe.

Yes, and absolutely. I only ever bough chicken manure direct from a processor like 6X. If you buy 20 bags it's much cheaper than singles price and you can use it with less risk because it's been composted.

I stopped using chicken manure because my dogs always eat it then we get involuntary evacuations.

I should have said that it's not fresh it's been in the barrel a while ,I won't be planting on it for another month time for the rain to do it's job

Ricard with an H wrote: I only ever bough chicken manure direct from a processor like 6X.

I stopped using chicken manure because my dogs always eat it then we get involuntary evacuations.

6X can be extremely expensive but searched around and I have found it almost half price even for single bags.
Stopped using it in garden because dogs ate it and then threw up.

As we have chickens we have to keep a eye on what the dogs are eating anyway as they seem to like fresh droppings.