Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: MrsLuigi on January 28, 2009, 11:37
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We started our allotment last October and had some serious clearing to do. With the help of some heavy/scarey tools we managed to clear half the plot and are now itching to start planting. Current task is almost complete, preparing an area for a manure pile. Doing this using old wooden pallets, looks quite good, and even better, it cost nothing.
It looks like this area has been used for a manure/compost pile by previous allotmenters and so the soil is lovely, seems a waste to just dump more manure on it.
And to the point..... the area immediately next to this has the best soil of the whole plot and i wondered if it is ok to plant veg or fruit so close to a manure pile, if so, what sort of things should i plant. Would squashes be a good idea?
:wub:
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I grew squash in my manure pile last year and they loved it. I just topped it off with a layer of compost and popped it in the middle.
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I always grow pumpkins or marrows etc on any standing compost heaps or top soil/turf stacks etc - always goes well but watch out for slugs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R
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I've heard of growing comfrey next to the compost heap, but I think any deep rooted green manure would do the same job. (Catching nutrients leeching down into the ground.)
I expect rhubarb would benefit from the location too. ;)
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oooh i like the comfrey and rhubard idea for next to the pile and i have seen a few of my lottie neighbours doing the pumpkin/squash thing on their heap, so i think i'm going to give that a go as well.
Thanks for your replies.