[beki]

I've got loads of well rotted manure... is it ok to spread it on ALL the beds?

All the veg will be going in, within the next couple of months.. earliest going in in about 3-4 weeks.

It won't harm any of the veg will it? I mean, are any of them unsuitable to put into manure? And do i just fork it into the beds?

Same thing with compost really.. i've not got loads of compost though... probably enough for 2 of the beds.. do i need to add compost aswell as manure? Or will manure alone be enough?
putting it

Also.. i'm going to be growing pumpkins. I've heard about people just planting the seeds straight into a manure pile... not sure if i'm brave enough to do that though.. i was thinking of getting a few bags of manure and dumping them on the veg patch and growing them straight onto that.. any thoughts?

xxxx

[wellingtons]

... where you're planning to plant your carrots or parsnips, it'll mean they have forked roots if you do.  Always make sure they're planted into ground that was well manured last season.

But that's the main thing to remember.

On the pumpkin issue ... if you want bumper crops raise the seeds in pots, pot them on a couple of times and then plant them into the compost heap.  When you do dig out a decent sized hole, and fill with a little less ripe mixture and plant into that.  Basically it's what would have been called hot bed planting if you did it years ago!!  I quite like them in the compost heap as it keeps the fruit off the ground, and covers my compost heap in greenery in the summer when I don't really need access to it.

[paintedlady]

you can grow squashes directly off the manure pile - our plot neighbours manure was only about 5 months old when they planted squash, so your well rotted stuff will be ok

The only crops where manure is not advised are carrots & parsnips.  However, they should still grow & provide a crop but may "fang".

I would probably manure virtually everything (apart from the carrot/parsnip bed), but be careful if you have to lime the soil for the brassicas etc.  You need a decent interval between the two otherwise you might get a chemical reaction that scorch the leaves of your plants.  The usual practice is supposed to be manure one year, lime the following year ... not many folk follow that :roll:

Add the compost as well if you want, or make the carrot/parsnip bed more composty particularly if the soil is clay like

[beki]

Eeeek! I didn't know anything about liming for brassicas!  :shock:  (are they things like brussels, caulis etc?)

Would they be ok without liming? I was just going to manure the whole lot (not growing carrots or parsnips) and plant away... or am i being a totally naive first time grower  :oops:    lol

[paintedlady]

or am i being a totally naive first time grower  :oops:    lol

not at all

Manure will make the soil more acidic, but you need a baseline of what soil type you have first.  Either get a cheap pH soil kit or have a look at the weeds in your plot - if you have things like nettles and dock (there's a whole other list I can't remember) then its likely to be acidic.  Brassicas do prefer it if it was more alkali to grow well.  It helps them to take up nutrients that would become unavailable if the soil was acidic.

Legumes grown in a higher pH (alkali) develop nodules on their roots containing nitrogen fixing bacteria which you then dig in to compost when the plants are finished & died back.  I also add a little lime where I plant onions & leeks but I potentially have onion rot anywhere on my plot so I use it to change the pH to make it a bit more difficult to take hold - this is not the established method of control but most fungi need to grow in acidic conditions, so it can only help in my book.

Things like tomatoes and celery prefer it more acidic so no liming.  Also, do not lime where you are going to put your potatoes - if I recall it makes the potatoe develop blemishes which do not affect the eating quality but doesn't look nice if you know what I mean.

Piece of cake

[paintedlady]

Eeeek! I didn't know anything about liming for brassicas!  :shock:  (are they things like brussels, caulis etc?)

yes!

[Lynne]

Eeeek! I didn't know anything about liming for brassicas!  :shock:  (are they things like brussels, caulis etc?)

yes!

I was advised last year to put a spoonful of lime in with every brassica I planted. It 'werked' a treat.

[beki]

That's brilliant... thanks for all the advice!    xxxx