Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Anton on June 16, 2010, 12:51

Title: The last straw
Post by: Anton on June 16, 2010, 12:51

I posted a message a couple of months ago (two and a half months ago) about a fellow gardener who had inherited lots of straw mixed with horse straw. This is the reference:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=54825.0

Two months later the straw and manure is lying in a corner of the allotment. The gardener has planted some tomatoes and intends to go on holiday for three weeks. I suggested he use the straw as a mulch around the plants. Would the urine in the straw still be too strong now for the plants?

Anton

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: fatcat1955 on June 16, 2010, 14:20

This is an old way of growing Tomatoes as well as Strawberries. Apparently the urine activates the rotting process in the straw which then heats up.Don't know if it is as productive compared with newer methods.

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: Livinhope on June 16, 2010, 14:34

If I can add my fivepen'rth on horse wee, having two horses.  It is very strong as mucking out a stable will prove and there is no way I would put it fresh, or anything containing it, on our allotment.  When my daughter poo-picks the field we leave it in the bags for 10 to 12 months.  In that time it rots down and being only poo you don't need to spread so much, it also ends up full of earth worms which is something sadly lacking in our allotment soil.  If you remember the days a few years ago, of burning straw in the fields, it was done because straw takes a long time and a lot of bacteria to rot down when ploughed in.  We leave it in the bags because when it's turned out on a heap the rain will wash the goodness out and into the underlying soil.

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: aelf on June 16, 2010, 15:20

I agree, the best thing to do is water the heap and then cover it (with plastic sheet) for about a year. By then it will have rotted down to a lovely brown crumbly compost. Gorgeous!  :)

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: Livinhope on June 16, 2010, 15:23

Yum, yum ???

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: Anton on June 16, 2010, 16:57

Thanks for the comments but I just wondered whether it could be used as a mulch for tomato plants, not to dig it into the soil.

Anton

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: Livinhope on June 16, 2010, 18:34

Personally, I wouldn't do you not have access to fresh straw for that.

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: FERDY on June 16, 2010, 20:43

I picked up a bale last week for £3.00.
Cheap as chips.
It will last me next year also.

Title: Re: The last straw
Post by: Livinhope on June 16, 2010, 20:49

Not cheap when you have two stables to straw up  :unsure: :unsure: