[Laura]

hi fellow allotmenteers
not been here for a while (laura & ian is no longer and it's just laura now, bit of a sore point for a while but getting easier)...
...anyhoo to the point, i want to get some fertilizer to dig in to the plot but there's no road access so getting a nice farmer to deliver is not an option (last year i helped friends shift half a ton half the distance at their plot and it was a mammoth task for three of us).  apparently chicken manure pellets can be bought in bags which sounds more compact and easier to shift.  in all your wise experiences will this do the same job, does it have any drawbacks and where can i get it - cheapish - and are there any other options for soil enrichment from you guys, my compost hasn't rotted down yet!
looking forward to your replies

oh and just an aside - during the summer i was told that one of immediate neighbours had given up his plot (and it really looked like he had) so i "borrowed" some small paving slabs and a holey metal barrel.  He re-appeared last weekend and i was too embarrassed to say anything.  i've got to 'fess up this weekend, my head is already hanging in shame!!!

[muntjac]

if you cannot barrow manure to your plot on your own try getting 3 nieghbours to join in with you again on buying a trailer load .you all move the manure to each of urs plot . a trailer of 4 tonneis a godbuy .about £45 ish a load . if you really cannot do this then the chicken pellets way is extremly expensive so needs loking at carefully you can get them at garden centres, as an alternative i would suggest using growmore . its cheaper and easier to handle .about £4 a 6 kilo box enough in 2 boxes for a full plot for a whole year
. jope that helps .

[Laura]

i thought chicken pellets would be expensive!!!  sounded too good to be true.  like the price of growmore though, thank you muntjac

[muntjac]

no worries . also buy  some sulphate of ammonia ,and sulphate of potash  at the same time ,both usfull for bring on  cabbage type plants  and others a bit faster then you can spread a crop a lot further through the season  

[Eristic]

Chicken manure pellrts are very good for the plants but not much cop for the soil improvement. They can be bought at most garden centres or Homebase in 10kg tubs for about £7 and I use it for all my flowerpots.

Shifting the manure is more of a mind over matter task and you need to develop a means of switching the mind off for the duration. I suggest borrowing a proper buiders barrow, the ones that come with a squeak built in so the gaffer knows when the work stops. These may seem clumsey and heavy but are easier to push with a load. Do not rush, just imagine you are on the latest hi-tec walking machine at the keep-fit club. If the distance you have to push is extreme, see if there is another allotment where you could park the pile for a few weeks.

ALTERNATIVELY:
Put boards over the pond, cover with a tarpaulin, tip the manure down the alley, and shovel it over the fence. :twisted:

[milkman]

why not go the green manure route (you may yet get grazing rye to grow, otherwise wait till spring), re-double efforts on quadrupling the volume of your compost bin (the compost'll be ready in plenty of time for spring) and what about gathering up all these lightweight autumn leaves blowing around into black bags or a bin to make leaf mould for autumn next year.  Cover bare soil with grass clippings or straw in the meantime.

[Aunt Sally]

I'm also concerned about how the chickens who have produced the manure for pellets are kept !  You can bet your life they are intensively farmed chooks.  Not an ethical choice for me  :evil:

[hermon]

i think "rooster"pellets are from free range hens i'm sur eit says it on the tub.

[noshed]

My beans did much better on the ground that had spuds and manure in. The ones on a hastily-dug trench of compost and scrunched up copies of the Walthamstow Guardian were nowhere near as good.
Blood, fish and bone is pretty cheap but does nothing for soil structure, unlike the Walthamstow Guardian.
Manure is hard to beat - could you get a couple of horses just to come over one day with the manure unpacked, so to speak? Would save all that barrowing.

[Aunt Sally]

i think "rooster"pellets are from free range hens i'm sur eit says it on the tub.

I should check things out before opening my mouth  :oops:

Many thanks hermon  

http://www.rooster.uk.com/

[Laura]

it hadn't even occurred to me that chicken manure might not be free range.  wouldn't touch it if it wasn't from happy chickens!  
it does seem the best option is the hard work option, i'm going to have to consider doing a hard day's graft.

[Gwiz]

its a damn shame, but often the truth.
any chance of organising a poo shifting party with some friends?
WANTED, EARTHY FRIENDS TO TAKE PART IN A "DIRTY WEEKEND" (refreshments supplied)
bet you`d get a reply or two

[Laura]

 gwiz,

WANTED EARTHY FRIENDS TO TAKE PART IN A "DIRTY WEEKEND"
i'd have to be careful where to advertise that!!!  i can't tell you the mental images it's conjuring up.
i did try to put the fun poop party idea to some pals last month but strangely, despite the offer of drinks and BBQ, everyone was busy - they all knew me too well and could see through my "evil scheme"