Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: candygold1 on March 10, 2013, 17:03

Title: 1st year no manure
Post by: candygold1 on March 10, 2013, 17:03

only got my new plot a month ago but have made good progress so far with the beds, my problem is i dont have any manure for this year but do have a large sack of fish blood and bone. will i be able to just give a good scattering over the beds and feed the plants well every so often then manure later in the year when its rotted down.

any tips appreciated

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: Chrysalis on March 10, 2013, 17:26

Sounds good to me.  We all have a shortage of something, I'm sure, but manage to grow anyway!  Some plants don't want too much food and others will help make it - peas and beans get their nitrogen fix from the sun and stuff (if we get any!).  I'm not too well up on the science, but just do what you can and get some comfrey growing to make fertiliser for yourself; build some compost bins; and raid a friendly chicken keeper's bin!

Enjoy your plot - it will be a long term joy. :)

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: noshed on March 10, 2013, 19:01

All that advice is very good. Just your kitchen scraps in a bin bag with holes in will give you compost for the autumn. Seaweed might be an option but you can't just take it - might be worth making some enquiries

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: richyrich7 on March 10, 2013, 22:07

Don't get too hung up and worried about manure, yes its a valuable commodity but you can grow your own in the form of green manures

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: Kirpi on March 11, 2013, 09:37

green manures and kitchen scraps - YES!

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: JohnB47 on March 11, 2013, 11:00

Four years with my plot now and never used manure. Only green manure and chicken pellets. Crops still seem to be OK, compared to others.

Might use manure in future but perhaps I'm just too lazy.

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: surbie100 on March 11, 2013, 12:09

I didn't have any last year either. Did ok with a combination of growmore, BFB and tomato feed, plus some leaves from my new comfrey.

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: candygold1 on March 11, 2013, 16:24

many thanks for the replys, i have a compost heap on the go and get loads of veg peelings from work :D comfrey seems to come up quite alot when talking green manure so ill have to find room for a bed.

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: Totty on March 11, 2013, 16:28

BFB will be fine, along with some chicken manure pellets for anything nitrogen hungry like brassicas etc.
Try to get some manure to stack up through the year to use next winter.

Totty

Title: Re: 1st year no manure
Post by: candygold1 on March 11, 2013, 19:38

Quote from: Totty on March 11, 2013, 16:28

BFB will be fine, along with some chicken manure pellets for anything nitrogen hungry like brassicas etc.
Try to get some manure to stack up through the year to use next winter.

Totty

i have a source for some but its fresh so no good this year but ill have plenty for next :D