[VictoriaH]

Hi everybody.

Hope this is posted in the right section.

Just had news that I am being made redundant so money is going to be thin on the ground. Have spent this morning sowing every veg seed I have, fortunately the freezer is full of meat, larder is well stocked, all I need to do is concentrate on the veg side.
My tomatoes are ready to go into grow bags that I haven't bought yet and would rather not now. Is it ok to empty one of the compost bins and plant them straight into that please? If not have you any ideas about what I can use? Soil here is sandy. I can get horse manure easily although it won't be well rotted.
Thank you.

Victoria.

[meterman]

no probs in the past ive used my own compost, horse manure and this year its well rotted chicken bedding i only buy 1 bag of compost every 2 years for seed setting.
Also dont buy liquid fertiliser put all your weeds green waste etc into a bin and cover with water keep adding to it when well fermented use 1/3 liquid to 2/3s water when finished put solids onto compost heap

[Carrotcake]

I would mix the compost in with your soil to make it go further and fill your compost bin with the fresh manure to give it a chance to rot down and then keep adding this to your soil to improve water retention.

You can then mulch with grass cuttings (top tip from Trillium on here!) which will help with water retention and it will also rot down over time to further improve your soil.

Also, sow courgettes if you eat them. They are great value for the space they take. You'll only need one or two plants depending on the size of your household.

Good luck

[Elcie]

I know you don't want to use grow bags but I saw them in Morrisons today at £1 each - that is a pretty good price.