[makedoandmend]

Folks,

I see from Newcastle-upon-Tyne's allotments' website that I can buy 'soil conditioner' from the council's composting facility for C£13 a tonne.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

I grew container spuds last year and wonder if I could use this as a growing medium.

The spec on the Sandhills link looks ok.

http://www.newcastleallotments.co.uk/      and  scroll down.

Thanks,

Make do.

[Axe]

nice thanks, i might get myself a few tonne delivered!

[arugula]

Folks,

I see from Newcastle-upon-Tyne's allotments' website that I can buy 'soil conditioner' from the council's composting facility for C£13 a tonne.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

I grew container spuds last year and wonder if I could use this as a growing medium.

The spec on the Sandhills link looks ok.

http://www.newcastleallotments.co.uk/      and  scroll down.

Thanks,

Make do.

The website doesn't actually say what it is and as they are listing it as a conditioner, I would take that to mean it should be used as an additive rather than a replacement for soil or compost.

[Axe]

mentioned it to a mate...he said he would never get compost from a council as it can be riddled with any disease or the dreaded mares tail as 'its where everyone dumps the stuff they dont want on there ground''...so i might pass lol

[DD.]

Also if it's purely from composted garden waste, whilst it might my high in humus, it'll be low in nutrients.

[makedoandmend]

Folks,

I'd hate to think we were underestimating this stuff.

If you read the download where its specification is outlined (NO NPK), it seems pretty good. May not be a direct replacement but it's probably as good as some of the 'budget' grow bags I've seen.

The latter take great pains to point out that it's a 'growing medium' and additional feeding may be required.

The weed grow test sounds positive - zero over five years.

I'm tempted to do some trials in grow boxes. Might go see or ask for a sample first.

Make do.

[DD.]

Even budget growbags have nutrients in.

What you've said there implies that this does not have a lot.

[Yorkie]

It will be useful for adding bulky organic matter to the soil, which is useful for all types of soil.

It is not a compost; it will not be suitable as a fertiliser or standalone growing medium.

If you grow organically, in the sense of never using chemicals, I would think that it will not be suitable as there will almost certainly be chemical residues from some of the stuff originally put into it.

[Christine]

We're just over border from Newcastle and have a similar system that takes the garden waste, rots it down, bags it up and sells it back to us.

The risks are what has gone into the bins that the council collects and sends to the private firm that does the "composting". Apparently this firm started out using it on their farm as just a soil conditioner - in other words something to bulk up the soil.

It depends on what you expect of a soil improver. Here it means something that you add to the clay to make it rather more than something for brick making which used to be a local industry (that says a lot for the local soil doesn't it?).

So - it can be something to bulk up very light soils or break down very heavy soils. You'll still have to use some form of fertiliser as well.

[leeks r us]

regardless of what it is if used to bulk out soil its as cheap as chips. £13.20 per ton and thats delivered, "I think"  Go for it my son its got to be worth a try.